236 SUPPLEMENT TO 



Lycosa narhonensis closes her nest at Cannes in the 

 winter. 



I was aware that Latreille stated that the Tarantula 

 possessed this habit,* and I was anxious to know 

 whether the species which I had detected at Cannes, 

 inhabiting as it did open nests in the month of May, 

 would also exhibit this curious custom. Being unable 

 to visit Cannes myself during the winter, I applied to 

 Mr. Brackenridge, who, on the 28th of January last 

 (1874), secured a very perfect specimen of the aerial 

 portion or chimney of one of the nests having tlie 

 orifice closed in the way above described, and most 

 kindly transmitted it to me. 



I have, on a very few occasions, found the doors of 

 a wafer or cork nest spun up during the winter at 

 Mentorie, and on digging have discovered the spider 

 alive, though partially torpid, inside ; but this is 

 quite an exceptional event. I should much like to 

 know, liowever, whether this becomes the rule in the 

 case of the nests of those trap-door spiders which 

 inhabit climates less favoured than that of Mentone. 



In m.y concluding remarks in Ants and Sjnchrs I 

 called attention to the importance which attaches to 

 a knowledge of the food and manner of feeding of 

 any creature whose life-history we may wish to study, 

 and I would now once more press the subject on 

 the attention of my readers. For the range and dis- 

 tribution of a species largely depends upon the 

 nature of its food, and this will also be an indica- 

 tion of the rivals with which it has to compete in 



* p. A. Latreille, Mem. Soc. Hist. Nat., Paris (an. VII. de la Ecpublique), 

 p. 124 : " L'araignee tarentule i'crnie aus.si son liabitation, mais cet opercule u'est 

 pas mobile, et n'est construit que pour I'liiver." 



