96 TRAP-DOOR SPIDERS. 



she obtained an additional purchase in this way by 

 blocking up the entrance, 



I did not force the spider to release her hold, but, 

 by a rapid stroke with a long-bladed knife, cut out the 

 upper part of the tube with the surrounding mass of 

 soil, and tbus secured the trap-door and its owner. 

 This specimen is represented at fig. C, Plate VIII., 

 where the pin-point holes made by the claws may be 

 seen in pairs round the whole circumference of the 

 flatter portion of the lower surface of the door except 

 on the side next to the hinge. 



Whenever a spider resists in this way she must 

 make these holes, but I have very rarely seen them 

 in other nests ; this may perhaps be accounted for by 

 their having been effaced by the action of moisture 

 which would stretch the silk. However this may be, 

 this specimen showed the claw marks quite distinctly 

 on my return to England after the lapse of several 

 weeks. 



Much has been written about these marks, which 

 are frequently spoken of as holes purposely made in 

 the silk in order to give the spider a better purchase. 

 It has also been stated that two holes may be seen in 

 the silk of the tube near the mouth on the side away 

 from the hinge, but these I have never been able to find. 

 The door of nest A in Plate VIII. is rather abnormal, 

 as it is made up of two doors, the smaller one being 

 spun into the top of the one now in use. This is, I 

 believe, an abnormal and rather clumsy example of 

 the ordinary way of enlarging the nest, but of 

 this we shall see more when we come to speak of 

 the construction and repairing of these nests gene- 

 rally. 



