24 NOTE ON MYGALB FASCIATA. 



attacked it viciously, drawing blood in several places, but beyond 

 frightening the chicken there was no result. However, this spider 

 may have exhausted its poison, for it had been much irritated and 

 had been striking repeatedly at sticks and other things before it 

 attacked the chicken. 



" These spiders live in burrows, which they excavate in steep banks 

 of earth. The burrows vary fi'om one inch to 2^ inches in diameter, 

 in accordance with the size of the occupant, and are of the form 

 shown below." (The diagram showed a short, straight passage, 

 turning sharply to one side at the end, which was a little widened to 

 form a chamber.) "Sometimes the chamber is to the right, instead 

 of to the left, as shown in the diagram. The burrow and chamber are 

 lined throughout with a closely woven, soft web, much resembling 

 very fine white tissue paper. The total length of the burrows 

 averages, I should say, about 15 inches, the straight part being about 

 afoot, and excavated perpendicularly to the face of the bank, which 

 is usually precipitous.'" 



Editor's Note.— -This species, which appears to be Mi/gale fasciata (Seba), is not 

 uncommon in Southern India and Ceylon, but has not attracted much attention 

 from its nocturnal habits. There has been a controversy of long standing regard- 

 ing the bird-eating propensities of this genus. The first to give currency to the 

 assertion wis Madame Merian, who, in a work on Surinam Insects, published in 1705, 

 figured Mygale oviculnria in the act of devouring a bird. In 1334 Mr. Maolcay 

 (P. Z. S. for that year, page 12,) threw doubt on her accuracy, and disbelieved in 

 any bird-catcbiug spider, which opinion, however, he subsequently modified (Ann. 

 and Mag. Nat. Hixt., 1812, Vol. VIII., p. 324), having seen in Australia a large Epeira 

 diadema suekiug the juice of a small bird, Zostarops dorsalis, which it had caught 

 in its net, but he was still inclined to think it exc ptional and accidental. How- 

 ever, other writers have sinee supported Madame Merian. (See same vol. Awn. and 

 Mag. Nat. Kist{, p. 436.) Mons. Jonncs says that its mode of attack is to throw itself 

 on to its victim, clinging by the double hooks of the tarsi, and striving to reach 

 the back of the head to insert its jaws between the skull and the vertebrfe. Sir 

 Emerson Tenhent was told by a lady who lived near Colombo that she had seen a 

 Mygale. devour a house lizard. Mr. Edgar Layard (/bin. a?id Mag, Nat. Hist., May, 

 1853,) described a fight between a Mygale and a cockroach, not much of a fight, 

 for the poor cockroach was speedily overcome and devoured. Mr. Bates, the author 

 of the "Naturalist on the Amazons," has stated that he has seen birds entangled 

 in webs spun by a speoies of Mygale and the spider actually on the bird, and his 

 opinion was that if the My gales did not prey upon vertebrated animals he could 

 not see how they could find sufficient subsistence. (T/ie Zoologist, Vol. XIII., 

 p. 4S0.) So far evidence is in favour of the bird-eating propensities of this genus, 

 but it would be interesting to prove the habits of our Indian species, and therefore 

 living specimens taken, if possible with nest complete, would be most acceptable in 

 order that they may be placed under bteefltfiation. — R. A. S. 



