These draglines seem to contain chemical signals telling the males that an appropriate female laid down the silk. Some males also use silk to tie up the females as part of a courtship ritual. Mating can be dangerous for male spiders because females are often larger and may consider the male a better meal than a mate. All female spiders wrap their eggs in silk egg sacs, often using several different kinds of silk, some leathery for protection from the outside environment, some soft and fluffy to cushion the eggs. Some species hang their egg sacs in or near their webs, while others carry their egg sacs around with them.
Many larger spiders find shelter in burrows they dig in the soil.
By this method, spiders are able to disperse to new habitats, even to remote islands, and habitats can be recolonized rapidly after a disturbance, such as a fire that might kill most spiders living in a prairie. Checklists, synonymy, and literature. Version 2.1, July 1994. Available on disk from third author, Washington State Museum, Univ. Washington, Seattle, WA 98198.