ix] WOLF-SPIDERS 71 



and the mouth of the tube containing it was presented 

 as before to the mouth of the tarantula tunnel. The 

 insect showed no disposition to enter the tunnel, but 

 buzzed in the tube outside. Many burrows were 

 tested before any luck attended the investigator, but 

 at length a spider responded. There was a fierce 

 rush, a clinch, and the bee was dead ; the operation 

 was too rapid to follow, but the spider's fangs remained 

 where they had struck embedded just behind the 

 insect's neck. The experiment was repeated until 

 sufficient cases had been witnessed to establish the 

 fact that the tarantula dealt no random stroke but 

 with unerring precision and lightning rapidity plunged 

 its fangs into the vital spot. Fabre quaintly exclaims 

 "J'etais ravi de ce savoir assassin; j'etais dedommage 

 de mon epiderme roti au soleil ! ' 



Examples of the same species of tarantula kept 

 in captivity threw further light of the habits of the 

 group. These large Lycosids live for years, and 

 though stay-at-homes when range so-to-speak, they 

 are at first wanderers on the face of the earth. They 

 do not settle down and burrow till the autumn just 

 after they have attained maturity. These young 

 adults are only about half the size they will eventually 

 attain, but the burrows are enlarged at need, so that 

 it is customary to find tubes of two sizes those of 

 the newly established small females, and those of the 

 fully-grown females of two or more years old. 



