. 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. GENERAL COCOONING HABITS OF SPIDERS. 127 commonly deposited inside, without any or with only a little flossy pad- ding. The exterior is frequently plastered more or less freely with mud or the detritus of decayed wood. Cluhiona tranquilla makes a hemisi)liorical or hutton shaped cocoon, which is attached to various surfaces, as of rocks, hark, or hoards. (Fig. 143.) One female confined within a jar for observation spun her co-
. 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. GENERAL COCOONING HABITS OF SPIDERS. 127 commonly deposited inside, without any or with only a little flossy pad- ding. The exterior is frequently plastered more or less freely with mud or the detritus of decayed wood. Cluhiona tranquilla makes a hemisi)liorical or hutton shaped cocoon, which is attached to various surfaces, as of rocks, hark, or hoards. (Fig. 143.) One female confined within a jar for observation spun her co- c9on upon a little twig jjlaced for her convenience within the vessel. As first ^^'i^Si completed by the mother the external a^^^M covering was pure white silk. But, fol- lowing her maternal instinct, she de- I''«'-l«- Cocoon of Clubiona trauquiUa, woven on a stick, and slightly mud plastered. scended to the earth upon the bottom of the jar, collected pellets of mud between her mandibles, carried them up to lier cocoon, and daubed the surface over in little ridges until the whole was quite mottled with the plastered mud. (Fig. 144.) Sometimes the Drassid's cocoon is contained within the tubular domi- cile of the mother, and this again will be overspread with a tent of deli- cate texture, as in the case of the Parson spider, Prosthesima ecclesiastica (Herpyllus ecclesiasticus Hentz). (Fig. 145.) The Parson spider is a quite large species one half inch long, with a black body, marked along the thorax and dorsum of the abdomen with decided circular and oblong patches of white, to which peculiar '^^® markings it owes its specific name. Its habits are those of the Snider Drassids generally, although it is not as sedentary as some others, but wanders in search of prey. It is commonly found upon trees, fences, etc., near some recess or opening into which it may retreat. Like some of our common house Theridioids, it is fond of taking refuge under the projecting parts of outhouses. I
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectspiders, bookyear1889
