Observations upo?i the Tarantula. 7 1 



insects upon which the tarantula feeds, an enticing resting- 

 place. Who shall tell us all the stratagems employed by this 

 adroit and intrepid hunter ? 



The tarantula is not the only species of Lycosa which 

 raises an edifice of masonry above the entrance of its subter- 

 ranean dwelling. The Lycose habile (Licosa perita Latr.\ 

 discovered by Latreille in the environs of Paris, has also, 

 according to this author, the habit of constructing a little 

 conical and taffetied funnel of extraneous materials, earth, 

 &c. (Lair., Cows cVEntom., torn. i. p. 537.) 



We will now give some account of the search after the 

 tarantula, which is amusing enough. The months of May 

 and June are the most favourable season for making it. The 

 first time that I discovered the holes of this spider, and had 

 satisfied myself that they were inhabited, by perceiving him 

 stationed at the first stage of his dwelling, which is the bend 

 that I have already described, I thought the best way to 

 obtain possession of him would be to attack him by open 

 force, and follow him to the termination of his burrow. I 

 passed whole hours opening the intrench ment with my knife, 

 in order to sack his domicile. I dug to the depth of more 

 than 1 ft., over a space 2 ft. in width, without meeting with 

 the tarantula. I recommenced my operation in other holes, 

 and always with as little success. I ought to have had a 

 pick-axe to attain my end ; but I was far from any house, 

 and in Spain. I was then obliged to change my plan of 

 attack ; and I had recourse to stratagem. Necessity, they 

 say, is the mother of invention. It occurred to me to take, 

 by way of bait, a stalk surmounted by a spikelet, and to shake 

 it and rub it gently against the opening of the hole. I was 

 not long in perceiving that the attention and desire of the Ly- 

 cosa was awakened. Tempted by this lure, he advanced, with 

 a slow and irresolute step, towards the spikelet ; and, upon 

 my drawing it back a little out of the hole, in order to leave 

 him no time for reflection, he frequently used to throw him- 

 self, at one spring, out of his dwelling, the entrance of which 

 I instantly closed. In this case, the tarantula, greatly discon- 

 certed to find himself unable to regain his domicile, was very 

 awkward in his attempts to elude my pursuit; and I obliged 

 him to take up his quarters in a piece of paper, in which I 

 instantly shut him up. 



It sometimes happened that, suspecting the snare, or, per- 

 haps, less pressed by hunger, he held back, immovable, at a 

 little distance from his door, which he did not judge it ad- 

 visable to pass, until my patience was completely exhausted. 

 When this occurred, these are the tactics I made use of: — 



