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SUPPLEMENT 
ascended, he walks gently over the web, approaches the female 
by little and little. If she remain quiet, he touches her gently 
with one of his fore-feet, and quickly draws back, and then the 
female makes some slight movements to touch him in turn. 
During this, which appears to be the prelude of the coupling, 
the antennulse of the male half open at their extremity, the 
buds which enclose the generative organs become humid, 
and the sexual part of the female also opens a little; then 
the male, emboldened, inserts there one of his antennulae, 
and retires. A moment after, he returns, and inserts the 
other antennula. He touches the female several times 
in succession in the same manner, using the two antennulae 
alternately. During the act, which appears to consist only in 
these simple touchings, the male introduces into the female 
organs a part which appears to be the organ of generation, 
issuing from the bottom of the antennula) during the act, and 
re-entering there immediately after. The same precautions 
are used by the males of those species which do not spin. 
Audebert has observed, that in a species commonly found in 
houses, a single act suffices for the fecundation of all the eggs 
which a female can lay at different times, for many years in 
succession. In getieral there is but one brood of eggs in the 
year, and which, in our climates, takes place towards the end 
of summer, or at the commencement of autumn. 
Soon after the females are fecundated, their belly, always 
much larger than that of the male, increases very much. All 
are oviparous, and lay a great number of eggs. The spinners, 
and those which form no web, envelope them with a thick 
bed of white silk, in the form of a cocoon ; some place them 
on a tree or wall. Some species carry their’s enveloped in a 
round cocoon, very close, and they are often seen dragging 
this cocoon after them, by means of a thread which keeps it 
attached to the hinder part of their body : it has the form of a 
truncated ovoid, of a grey or whitish colour, and divided longi- 
