134 



AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



I present in this connection two of the earliest pubUshed figures rep- 

 resenting the spinningwork of spiders of this family, both of them prob- 

 ably belonging to the genus Clubiona. They were made by that 

 pioneer araneologist, Baron De Geer. Fig. 159* represents a leaf 



De Gear's 

 Figures. 



nest with the spider within it, woven on the inner surfaces of 

 birch leaves. This constituted the mother's dwelling and the egg nest of 

 her cocoon. The mother remained with most of her body concealed within 

 her nest, but her fore feet were held outside ready to seize whatever prey 

 might pass by. Fig. 1(30 is the cocoon separated from the enclosing nest. 

 Fig. IGl represents an apple leaf within the concave inside of which is seen 

 a white cell spun by tlie female of Araneus pallidus Clerck ("Araignee 

 tapissiere"), apparently a species of Clubiona. It serves as a dwelling 

 for the mother and contains also her cocoon, within which the eggs 

 are deposited and the young hatched. The nest was sketched .July 2oth. 



It was opened and the spiderlings found within 

 with their mother. Tlie mother showed no fear, 

 but stayed by her little ones closely, even during 

 the i>rocess of tearing open the nest for examina- 

 tion. - 



The Dysderads form one of the most interest- 

 ing families of the Tubeweavers, and are especially 

 distinguished by having six instead of eight eyes, 

 six spinnerets, and four breathing holes. In their 

 general liabits they are closely related to the Dras- 

 sids, living in tubes or cells of silk formed under 

 stones in cracks and crannies of walls, fence rails, 

 old trees, and similar places. Our most common 

 species in this geographical province is Dysdera 

 bicolor.^ I have found it in great numbers occu- 

 pying numerous interstices between the stones of an old barn in Delaware 

 C^ounty, and in the interspaces between door jambs and window frames of 

 the wall. 



Tubes of all sizes', from those of baby spiderlings to grizzled adults', had 

 their outlet upon the wall surface, at which points the tube widened out 

 into a rectangular margin or flap, by which it was attached 

 Dys era ^^ ^|^^ \yal\. The species is widely distributed over the adjoin- 

 ing fields, in fences, etc., and the accompanying figure was drawn 

 from a huge walnut tree that stood solitaiy in a meadow. The trunk was 

 cleft by a longitudinal fissure twelve feet or more in length and from an 

 inch to two inches wide. The bark was stripped off along the edges of 

 this fissure, and within the crevice ten or twelve tubes were spun, extending 



I-'k;. 162. Snare and nesting tube 

 of Dysdera bicolor. 



1 Mem. des Inset-t., Tom. \ll., phxte xviii.. Figs. 8-i). ^ Idem, page 2f)S, pi. 15, Fig. 16. 

 ^ Ariadne bicolor Emerton, New England Drassidte, page 38. 



