246 SUPPLEMENT TO 



made nests ; so that unless all of these were females, 

 we have evidence here to prove that the males do 

 commence life by building nests for themselves. 



I kept the male Cteniza Moggridgii, for ten daj'S on 

 damp earth in captivity, but he made no attempt to 

 excavate or spin, and wandered restlessly about, 

 scarcely touching the flies* with which I supplied him. 



Seeing this I could not venture to prolong his 

 captivity, as I feared to risk injuring a specimen which 

 was quite unique and which there was little likeli- 

 hood of my being able to replace. It is rather curious 

 that M. Simon should also have found one male, 

 and one only, of the closely-related Ct. fodiens of 

 Corsica, and that his specimen should be, like mine, 

 the only one known. 



Bearing in mind the curious problems which arise 

 as to the affinities of the flora and fauna of the Alpes 

 Maritimes with that of Corsica, the fact that the 

 species of Cteiiiza which is found at Mentone, though 

 allied to, is yet distinct from the insular species, gains 

 a new interest. 



We ask ourselves whether the Corsican species 

 sprang from that of the Alpes Maritimes, or vice versa ; 

 or again, whether both diverged in remote times from 

 a common ancestor. Questions such as these cannot 

 be answered at present, but I hope the day may 

 come when the geographical distribution of the various 



'" * I habitually fed my captive spiders with common house-flies, and it 

 was curious to see how entirely the latter were wanting in any instinctive 

 fear of even the largest spiders. They would creep between the spiders' legs, 

 causing them to start as if electrified, and frequently it was not until the flies, 

 after repeating this annoyance several times, actually walked up to and almost 

 touched the fangs of the spider, that they were punished for their ignorance and 

 presumption. 



