Gatbnby. — Life-history and Habits of Migas distinctus. 239 



She will seldom dash out unless the fly is right in front of the 

 door. If it is too far away she would be obliged to expose her body 

 to danger while she reopened the door. As it is, her abdomen keeps 

 the door open, so she soon slips back. When the spider has eaten the 

 fly she drops out of the door those parts which she discards. 



I kept thirty spiders in a small box placed on a shelf. On the sunny 

 days when the flies were about I would sprinkle a few grains of sugar 

 in front of each door, and put the box in the sun. The unsuspecting 

 flies would come to feed on the sugar, and would fall easy prey to the 

 spiders. In winter, when few flies were about, on the fine days I would 

 catch house-flies and tie cotton to their wings, and make them walk over 

 the door. The spiders would drag them in, cotton and all. Next day 

 the cotton, with the dry carcase of the fly, would be found often an inch 

 from the door. 



Spiders may be killed whilst attacking an Ichneumon fly inadvertently. 

 This would explain why nests, even in a plentiful insect season, are 

 found tenantless, except for vermin. 



Even when not looking for food, spiders will be caught watching out 

 of their nests. Before they emerge at night they always' reconnoitre for 

 an hour or so. If a spider is alarmed she rushes up from the terminus 

 of her tube and proceeds to resist an entrance. 



The Spider's modus operandi whilst holding down her Door. 



Four legs (the front pairs) are, together with the falces, used to fix 

 on the silken underlining of the door. The falces are driven into the 

 middle of the door, the four legs being placed so that the claws hold to 

 the edges of the lid (fig. 12). The thick bristles on the ultimate and 

 penultimate joints of the first two pairs of legs present a spiny array 

 (fig. 1, female; fig. 2, male). (Fig. 3 shows a few of these terminal 

 protective bristles, with the claws.) The remaining pairs of legs are 

 placed around the tube, the claws sticking into the silk lining (fig. 11). 

 All the legs are slightly bent when holding on, so that the spider's hold 

 is elastic, and better able to withstand a jerk. When in this position 

 the spider pulls the door tightly, often exerting a force capable of lifting 

 a half-ounce weight. 



Fig. 11 shows the profile of a spider holding her door. It will be 

 noticed how well the spider's abdomen is protected by the curve in the 

 side of the tube. 



Sometimes whilst frantically resisting the entrance of an enemy the 

 spider will suddenly let go the door and make as if to rush out on the 

 intruder. If a person has his hand near when this happens he quickly 

 drops the pin with which he has been holding the door, and removes his 

 hand to safety. But this is apparently what the spider wishes to happen, 

 and immediately she turns on her back again (fig. 11) and closes the door. 

 The whole business is a ruse on the part of the spider, for she would not 

 forsake her nest to bite any enemy. 



Some spiders relinquish their hold when they 'perceive that they are 

 weaker than their enemy, but they remain watching nearly hidden 

 around the bend of the nest. Some spiders run to the bottom of their 

 den when beaten at the door, and seek to hide themselves. 



In wet weather spiders often remain at the end of their dens even 

 when the door is touched. In captivity spiders often weave some strands 



