rOCRTSHIl' IX DVSDERA CROCATA. 



ALEXANDER PETRUNKEVITCH. PH.D. 



:nale and a male of this species of spiders were found under 

 ' < i nt flat stones on a sunny hillside in Montclair on the 



uing of April 21. On the same day they were put in a ivc- 

 t. uvular small glass dish with a little earth at the bottom, awn-o- 

 lid and a partition of wire-net in the middle to separate the 

 spider-* from each other. They at once tried to get at each otl 

 >-tii king their legs through the net. After a while they de-i-ted 

 and -at quietly on the ground. The next morning the female 

 und in the corner farthest from the light and next to the 

 partition, in a little excavation in the ground, which \\a- 

 piiii-i ted on all side* with web. The web was destroyed and a 

 ll\ ua- held in a forceps before the spider. She bit at it but \\a- 

 it In i in: able or did not want to kill it. The male made no ex- 

 itim or web. When the partition was removed the male ami 

 all- met several times in a rather threatening way, opening 

 \\ide thi-ir mandibles and at times seizing each other by tin 

 inamlibli--. but the male would pat the female with his four 

 ti"iit leet on the sides and back and then they would separate 

 l>ly. After a short time the female dug rapidly a hole in 

 the Around under a little stone. The male approached several 

 time-. 1 1 inching her legs with his front legs and again going away. 

 I in >u removed the stone to observe how the female digs the hole, 

 ^lie at once beg. in to work, using all parts of her body. The 

 Miiall lumps of soil she removes by pushing them with palpi. 

 In >MI to i and mandibles with the fangs drawn in. Heavy clump- 

 "t the size of her own Ixxly she grasp* in her fangs and either 

 pu-lie- or pulls backward out of the excavation. The hole i- 

 f(.riiiied by web which she spins in a very interesting manner. 

 She -tand* head down with only the abdomen out of the hole ami 

 nio\e- the latter in a half circle about the petiolus with spinncrei- 

 i.m-iretched, I'a-tening the thread first at one, then at the otlu-r 

 end <>t the half circle. After doing this several time-, -he turns 

 in th- hole to spin the other half circle in the same manner. 



'=7 



