TRAP-DOOR SPIDERS. 187 



being less than one-fourth oftliat of the subterranean ; 

 the upper end of the tube is however open, but I am 

 doubtful whether this was originally so or not, for 

 the silk is torn at this point, and the opening may be 

 a rent caused by rough handling. 



After a comparison of the above description, it 

 appears to me that the following are the principal 

 points which remain to be cleared up : 



1. What is the precise structure of the nests of 

 Atypus, and are they alwa^'S uniform in character at 

 all seasons of the year ? 



2. AVhat is the use of the exposed aerial portion 

 of the tube ? 



3. Do the two British species make similar nests ? 



4. What food, besides worms, does the female live 

 upon, and how does she obtain it ? 



5. Does she ever leave the nest? 



6. What becomes of these spiders and their nests 

 in the winter, and how long do they live ? 



7. When do the young leave the nest ; and do they, 

 like their relatives in the South, construct nests like 

 those of their parents in miniature ? 



I would commend all these points to any lover 

 of Nature who may seek the southern coasts of 

 England during the autumn and winter months, 

 and I think it more than likely that a careful search 

 in the sandy banks near St. Leonards, the slopes 

 under the fir-woods of Bournemouth, and the deep 

 lanes in the neighbourhood of Torquay, would be 

 rewarded with success. 



If the breeding season in England only commences 

 in October, as appears to be the case in France, it 

 would seem most probable that the spiders survive 



