ANIMAL BEHAVIOR, WITH EXAMPLES 187 



open waste a paradise for running Lycosid spiders. In one 

 particular, these areas were uninviting spots, owing to the 

 preponderance of cenchrus burrs. Yet, from the naturalist's 

 point of view, they proved to yield rich material for study. It 

 was here that I made my first intimate acquaintance with the 

 castle-building spider and her various accomplishments. I 

 found, after some observation, that this spider is equally expert 

 whether engaged as a carpenter, weaver, mason, or digger. 

 All of these attributes she brings to bear during the construction 

 of her underground tube and the exquisite castle or turret 

 which often surmounts the opening. 



In the fall of the year, building operations are most active, 

 for it is then that young and old individuals alike engage in 

 preparing their burrows, with a view to hibernating through 

 the winter. Whenever possible, this spider either hides her 

 burrow and castle in a recess of overhanging dried grasses, or 

 places it so that the castle blends perfectly with the surround- 

 ings. On this account it is often difficult to locate their nests. 

 The first evidence that may attract one's attention is the new, 

 lighter colored sand or dirt which the occupant has thrown 

 out in the form of pellets when she excavates the tube to reach 

 a lower depth. In building her nest, the castle builder does 

 not arrange the material pentagonally, as her near relatives 

 are known to do. Oftentimes her castle is situated beside a 

 half-buried piece of old branch, a site which aids in the deception 

 I have suggested. The little seedlings and mosses growing 

 around it, which spring from the superficial deposit of vege- 

 table mould, give to the surroundings the effect of a small 

 imaginative garden colored with sienna and green. 



The nest, or turret proper, projecting above ground, is quite 

 round, forming a hollow ring. It is commonly composed of 

 fragments of peppergrass, bark, and rootlets, woven together 

 with silk, while to one side a dried leaf of ragweed may be 

 aesthetically curved around and attached. Other bits of leaves 

 are incorporated into its margin with good effect. Again, 

 grass leaves may be brought down from a standing plant near 

 by and festooned to the sides, the finishing touch being a dagger- 

 pointed burr poised on the margin. What could be more 

 replete in architectural design ? Actual measurements of the 



