182 SUPPLEMENT TO 



this genus is contained in a paper by M. Eugene 

 Simon,* who describes three species (two of which are 

 new), as inhabiting France, and it remains to be 

 ascertained whether our British Afi/pi agree in their 

 characters with any of these. 



He describes (p. 113-4) the nest and mode of life 

 of Afijpus jjiceus, Sulzer { = A. iStdzeri, Latr.),t the 

 commonest of the three species, as follows : — " They 

 (the spiders) seek dry and somewhat sandy slopes, 

 sometimes also woods, chiefly plantations of ever- 

 greens ; their retreat is always concealed either by 

 stones, or in moss which one must remove carefully 

 and in large masses {jjJdciues) in order to detect 

 them." 



" This Atypus excavates an oblique hole of 15 to 20 

 centimetres deep, and of the size of its body ; it lines 

 it with a rather narrow silken tube of a very close 

 texture, the upper part of which, exceeding the sub- 

 terranean portion in length, lies horizontally on the 

 surface of the ground, and ends in an open tapering 

 point. Near its lower extremity the tube is suddenly 

 contracted, and then dilates into the form of a fairly 

 spacious apartment, in which the spider lives ; the 

 cocoon enclosing the eggs is suspended by a few 

 threads at tlie contraction. I have frequently sur- 

 prised Atyjms in the act of holding enrth-worms in 

 their falces, and I think that these Annelids consti- 

 tute the larger part of their food ; indeed, if one 

 examines the lower portion of the silk chamber, one 



* Note sur les Espfeces franjaises du genre Atypus, Latr. ia Ann. Soc. 

 Entomologique de France, 5'' ser. torn. ili. (1873), p. 109. 

 t Thus named by M. Simon. 



