374 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



[1887. 



a poisonous fang, it presented itself quite changed in appearance. 

 The body was of a fresh, bright color, the cophal thorax a clean 

 whitish gray, the head and fangs dark brown. The abdomen was 

 black with brown hairs covering it. The legs were black Avith 

 yellowish brown hairs and spines. I at once understood that the 

 spider when first seen was in the torpid condition which usually 

 imiuediatel}' precedes the act of moulting. In the interval between 

 my visits it had cast off its skin which I found lying in a tolerably 

 complete condition on one side of the glass. The spinnerets and 

 abdomen were entirely unbroken, the spider having evidently 

 escaped therefrom by pulling its abdomen forward. (Fig. 1). 



"'Si^Jsfcs',: 





1. Moult of Tarantula sliovving mode of Escape 



The dorsum of the cephalthorax was attached to the upper part of 

 the abdomen, and the sternum to the lower part, showing that the 

 fore part of the skin had cracked around the median line of the 

 cephalthorax. The feet and legs were attached to the sternum, and 

 on one side the casts were entirely complete. 



The death of this tarantula is another example of a fact which I 

 have previously observed, that the act of moulting is frequently 

 attended by dangers of one kind or another to spiders. It is common 

 to find specimens without one or more limbs, also with distorted and 

 abbreviated limbs. I have frequently found males lacking several 

 legs. The theory commonly adopted is that in most of these cases 

 the loss has resulted from conflicts, perhaps among rival lovers in 



