334 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1888- 



At his first visit to this beach he discovered several burrows of 

 Lycosa arenicola Scudder,^ popularly kuown as the Turret spider. - 

 Subsequently he explored the field aud found numbers of these 

 Lycosids domiciled in the sand and spread very generally over 

 the dunes. They came down very close to the high water mark. 

 Thirteen burrows were found quite near together, seven in a circle 

 of six feet in diameter. Most of these burrows were about dialf an 

 inch in diameter. Two were located within twelve inches, and sev- 

 eral others within two feet of the edge of the sandy ridge which 

 marks the point of highest tide. The tubes vary in size and depth. 

 Some are scarcely larger than a quill, some, indeed, not much larger 

 than a good big darning needle. These were occupied by young 

 spiders. The adult spiders occupy burrows in the sand about twelve 

 inches or less in depth ; the younglings make holes four inches deep 

 or less. 



In digging for spiders Dr McCook began to remove the sand ten 

 inches or more from the opening of the burrow. Thus the dry sand 

 immediately surrounding dropped away into the excavation, leaving 

 the silken tube which lined the burrow adhering to the arrass stalk 

 or twig which he had inserted within it. The buri-ows proved to be 

 silk-lined for j' space of from four to seven inches, the lining however, 

 being of a very thin texture, not like the tough silken tube with which 

 the Trap-door spider lines her nest, oi- which the Purseweb spider 

 erects along the trunks of trees. Below that point the burrow enters 

 into the sand unlined. The top of the sand is quite dry, but the 

 bottom part, wherein the lower portions of the burrows are made, 

 was invariably found to be damp, and of course closely packed, so 

 that it was not very liable to fall into the excavation. A little cir- 

 cular ridge of sand ordinarily surrounds the opening of the burrow, 

 but he saw in no instance anything like the tower of straws and sticks 

 which this spider builds in the meadows and fields of New Jersey, 

 Pennsylvania and other points where it has been observed. The 

 drifting of the sand before the wind seemed to have little or no effect 

 upon the burrows which were always found quite open aud free around 

 the mouth. Heavy rains which fell during the season had no apj)re- 

 ciable effect upon the burrows or their inmates although the tubes 

 must often have been filled with water. 



The spiders captui-ed were all of a light hue as compared with the 

 same specimens found in our vicinity. Specimens almost identical • 

 with these were found by Dr. Joseph Leidy in the sand at Beach 

 Haven, New Jersey ; and this pale coloring appears in all other littoral 

 .specimens examined. The influence of environment, manifest in the 

 lighter coloring of this spider, was also seen in a grasshopper or locust 

 which is quite abundant on Coffin's beach. It is almost as white as 



' Psyche, vol. 11, p. 2, 1877. 



^ Emerton ("New England Spiders of the Family Lycosidn;" Trans. Conn. 

 Acad. vol. vi, 1885) describes liie species as Lycosa nidifex Marx, for what reason 

 he does not state. Scudder made the spider known in 1877; I^r. Marx gave his 

 description in the " American Naturalist" May 1881. The priority is undoubtedly 

 with Scudder's name. 



