. American spiders and their spinning work. A natural history of the orbweaving spiders of the United States, with special regard to their industry and habits. Spiders. MATERNAL INDUSTRY: COCOONS OF ORBWEAVERS. 101. ill niauy cases (not all) becomes much rounded as the spiders grow. If the caj) be lifted up or pulled off, as may readily be done when the young are nearly ready to emerge, a ball of yellow silk will be found inside, amidst which the eggs are originally deposited, and in whose fibres the spi- derlings burrow. The cocoons are in number about five, more or less, and each one contain
. American spiders and their spinning work. A natural history of the orbweaving spiders of the United States, with special regard to their industry and habits. Spiders. MATERNAL INDUSTRY: COCOONS OF ORBWEAVERS. 101. ill niauy cases (not all) becomes much rounded as the spiders grow. If the caj) be lifted up or pulled off, as may readily be done when the young are nearly ready to emerge, a ball of yellow silk will be found inside, amidst which the eggs are originally deposited, and in whose fibres the spi- derlings burrow. The cocoons are in number about five, more or less, and each one contains about twelve to twen- ty eggs, so that the aggregate number of eggs is about equal to that found in the single cocoons of some other species. For the most part the cocoons over- lay one another, the top of each projecting one- third to one-half its length over its neighbor, as shown at Fig. 89, i, front view; ii, back view. They are held together chiefly by a band of loose threads (o, ii) which are stretched along the back Fig. 86. Fio. 87. parts of the cups, although at the points where the Cocoon strings of Labyrinth cocoous Overlap they are also lightly attached. The spider. (Natural size.) Fig. -, t i • i j_i n , 86. Tlie manner of lashing band UpOU WUlCh the COCOOUS are thus strung IS above. FIO. 87. The tiled fastened to a strong, thick, branching w^hite cord, position of the cocoons. ,.,. iti iii which IS anchored above and below to the network of cross lines. This cord is usually longest above, deltatcd and often suspended upon a similar trans- verse cord. (See Figs. 85, 86.) When the cocoons are opened in October, the spiderlings are found fully de- veloped, lively, and ready to escape. They resemble the adult form in markings. The cocoons arc sometimes separated from each other, as at Fig. 86, but again are all overlaid. Fig. 87, being lashed together by the band of threads upon which they arc strung. Occasionally, the spider will spin her tent beneath the lowest
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectspiders, bookyear1889
