Superfamily Argiopoidea 



of cinders. The soil in which the burrows were made was quite 

 sandy, and the turrets were in many cases an inch or more in 

 height. When I received the specimen, I put it in a cage made of 

 a glass cylinder placed over a flower pot filled with earth. A 

 hole had been made in the earth near the centre of the cage; 

 into this the spider retreated. A few days later it was observed 

 that the spider had built a low wall of small stones about the 

 entrance of its tube. I then put a quantity of fragments of twigs 



Fig. 717. TURRET OF LYCOSA CAROLINENSIS? 



into the cage, and on the next day was rewarded by seeing that dur- 

 ing the night several of the twigs had been placed upon the wall. 

 From time to time, but always in the night, other twigs were placed 

 on the wall, till finally a turret one inch in height had been built 

 (Fig. 718). Each twig was held in place by threads of silk; in 

 fact the turret was lined with a continuous sheet of this substance. 

 The spider was very shy. 1 never saw it outside of its 

 turret, although its cage was kept in my office during several 

 months. It was evident that it left its nest only at night, or when 



624 



