American spiders and their spinningworkA natural history of the orbweaving spiders of the United States, with special regard to their industry and habits . ed that was correct in attributing the co-coon to Argenteola. This cocoon was a keystone shapedpatch of white sheeted silk, upon whichwas raised a greenish button that enclosedthe egg mass. (Fig. 53.) The white colorof the sheet can hardly be characteristic,for in specimens before me this part isgreen. The whole was suspended between linesthat were attached above to the lower foun-dation lines of the orb, and to the sides andbotto
American spiders and their spinningworkA natural history of the orbweaving spiders of the United States, with special regard to their industry and habits . ed that was correct in attributing the co-coon to Argenteola. This cocoon was a keystone shapedpatch of white sheeted silk, upon whichwas raised a greenish button that enclosedthe egg mass. (Fig. 53.) The white colorof the sheet can hardly be characteristic,for in specimens before me this part isgreen. The whole was suspended between linesthat were attached above to the lower foun-dation lines of the orb, and to the sides andbottom of the box beneath. Evidently thespider, in spinning her cocoon, had firststretched the sheet, and against or within this had placed her eggs, which she then proceeded to overspin in the usualmanner, though, of course, it is not impossible that in this and like casesthe cocoon may be framed upon a flat surface and then raised and sus-pended in the above described jiosition. In general appearance this cocoonresembles that of Epeira rather than the typical Argiope cocoons as rep-resented by our two familiar species, Cophinaria and Argyraspis. But in. Fig. 49. Cocoon of Argiope argyraspis,hung upon the stalks and leaves of awild flower. 84 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. the manner of suspension, as well as the character of the egg case, Argen- teola resembles her congeners.^ A cocoon, wlien dissected, shows two principal parts—the basal sheet above referred to, and the cup or case which is set upon it. Both these parts consist of closelywoven silk, like thatwhich forms the out-er case of Cophinariaand Argyraspis, thelatter of whicli it mostresembles. This cupis of a yellow or yel-lowish green color,and the deep greentints appear most de-cidedly in slight flossy tufts, which here and there overspread it. The inner surface of the basal sheet is overspread withwhite silk. Witliin the case is a ball of „, white flossy curled silk, which forms the inner upliolstery of t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectspiders, bookyear1890
