MATERNAL INSTINCTS: MOTHERHOOD. 191 



fallen leaves, which are attached to the ground and covered with strong 

 threads. The mother lies down upon her cocoon, never leaving it to 

 take nourishment, thus starving herself to death in two or tliree 

 Epeira weeksJ This author makes a like statement concerning Singa 

 ^^.® albovitata. The phrase "starving herself to deatli " must, how- 

 ever, be taken in a figurative sense, for the fact is not one of 

 maternal sacrifice, but the inevitable debt of Nature after the maternal 

 functions are fulfilled. 



Notwithstanding the above statements, I must say tliat I have met 

 with no evidence that any mother spider, during so called brooding, ever 

 actively exercised herself to protect her eggs against assault of 

 arson liymenopterous or other natural enemies. I once watched a fe- 

 male Herpyllus ecclesiasticus during more than two weeks' vigil 

 of her cocoon. She never appeared to leave the vicinity of her button 

 like egg nest, which lay near a crevice into which she frequently retired, 

 and indeed was apt to retire at the sign of any disturbance made by my- 

 self. Sometimes she had her station upon the cocoon, embracing it with 

 her legs, but during all this period I failed to see the approach of any 

 natural enemies, and therefore was not able to record the fact that this 

 vigil resulted in any practical benefit to her embryo progeny. 



Witli few exceptions, of which some have been noted, and which seem 



to me to have doubtful features, Orbweavers hold no vigil over their 



cocoons. As a rule the whole wealth of maternal care is ex- 



^ ' pended upon the elaboration of the egg covering, after which, 



Vigils "^ most species, cocoon and eggs are abandoned to the foster love 



of Nature while the mother goes away about her business of 



food gathering or falls upon death. It may be thought that those species 



which make several cocoons present an evident exception, as in the cases 



of Epeira basilica, caudata, bifurca, and labyrinthea, whose cocoons are hung 



within their snares. But I have not been able to obtain any evidence 



that the cocoons of these species receive special maternal care in the way 



of personally pi'otecting them from enemies, or aiding the young within 



them to make their egress, or looking after tlic brood when escaped from 



the cocoon. 



Caudata may, indeed, often be seen hanging to the lowest cocoon of her 

 series, suspended along the vertical axis of her orb ; but that is the natural 

 position for the spider under ordinary circumstances, and it may 

 have been assumed simply for convenience. I have never seen 

 the slightest indication of a desire on the part of the little mother to 

 mount from the lowest to the higher and highest ones of the string with 

 a view to protect them or oversee them. 



In the case of Labyrinthea I have little doubt in saying that she 



' "Preussische Spiimen," sub Epeira diademata. 



