NOTES ON THE HABITS OF A FEW TRAP-DOOR 

 SPIDERS FOUND IN ALICEDALE, CAPE PRO- 

 VINCE. 



Bv Frank Crudex. 



(Jlatcs 27, 2^.) 



Many of our South African trap-door spiders have been 

 named and described, but ai)parently few observations on their 

 habits liave been recorded. My notes, thougli incom]:)]ete, may 

 therefore serve the ptirpose of adding somewhat to the stock 

 of human knowledge concerning the architecture and life-his- 

 tories of these interesting creatures, a stibject which has always 

 appealed greatly to the symjjathies and imagination of naturalists. 



These notes relate to rather more than half of the species 

 which occur at Alicedale, where I have found (|uite a con- 

 siderable trap-door spider fauna M'ithin the last two or three 

 years. 



The localities occu})ie(l by the several species of any one 

 genus are sometimes sharply separated, but in other cases are 

 coincident. 



The genus Moggridcjca is represented by four species in 

 this vicinity. M. crndeiii and M. rupicola often occur in close 

 proximity to each other, but M. cocgensis and M. tcrrestris do 

 not, as far as I have yet observed, live near an\- other species 

 of this genus. 



The two local species of AcatttJiodon — -^braliami and Crit- 

 dciii — are often found together, and also in com])any with species 

 of other genera. In one small claybank I found both Acantho- 

 dons, M. crudcui. StasiDiopus, and an Ariadne within easy reach 

 of each other. 



At East London two species of Acanthodon were found 

 together, t)ne with an overlapping lid. the other with a lid fitting 

 closely into the mouth of the tube and flush with the ground. 



Our two species of Pehnatorycter I have never found 

 together, but P. parznis and the two species of Acaiifhodoii often 

 occur in the same spot. 



One of the species here dealt with (Bcssia minor ) seems 

 to have quite a imique type of trap-door. 



Most of the technical descriptions of the Alicedale trap- 

 door spiders have been published by Mr. John Hewitt in the 

 Records nf the Albany .Museum, Grahamstown. 



StASIMOPUS. Si'. {aff. PAXERSON.E-H^Zt'zV/). 



(Rcc. Albany Miis.. 3. 30. ^2.) 



Locality. — This is the largest of all the trap-door spiders 

 found in this neighbourh'xid. It u-^ualb- constructs its nest in 



