40 JOURNAL OF THE 



perpendicular direction again. I ran a straw down this tube 

 and felt the movements of the spider. The spider would not 

 seize the straw, as they sometimes will, and soon I could no 

 longer feel the movements. I theii dug carefully around 

 the tube, and at the depth of about ten inches struck the 

 spider, splitting open its caput. This happened because the 

 spider was in the branch : when I first ran the straw into the 

 tubes she was in the main tube, and probably being frighten- 

 ed ran into the branch and caught hold of the door. This 

 confirms what Mr. Moggridge believes to be the case with 

 spiders making a double door branched nest, that when an 

 enemy succeeds in getting entrance to the main tube the 

 spider will run into the bnmch.' This nest is represented 

 in fig. 15, Plate IV. Though the tube is represented nearly 

 natural size the length is much fore-shortened. The space 

 represented by the dotted lines <i and l> was 10 inches for 

 each. The spider was found at h ; the cork door can be 

 seen at c. 



Another specimen was found, about which, unfortunately, 

 I have no record or recollection, except that it was collected 

 sometime during the spring. This, though I have not given 

 it a careful examination I believe to belong to the same 

 species. I left it in the possession of Dr. Geo. Marx, at 

 Washington. 



The specimen collected Apr. 6, I placed in a jar of earth 

 to see what kind of a nest it made in captivity. For several 

 days it showed no signs of working. Finally I found it bur- 

 ied in the earth much as J/idltxflccfd- nuirx'n is, when having 

 just completed the dome over the tube, and from the appear- 

 ance of things I think the burrow was started, and the dome 

 made in the same way as in the case of that species. The 

 next day in place of the dome, in which there was no moss, 

 was a perfect cork door with an abundance of moss in it. 

 The spider had evidently cleared away the dome, which was 

 made of earth and silk, and made the door of new material. 



When I lifted up this door the spider would catch hold of 

 it. In a few days I found this door fastened down and that 

 end of the tube filled with earth for a distance of 5 cm. The 

 tube extended in a circuitous direction for 10 cm. or more 

 where it came to the surface and was closed by another 

 nicely fitting trap-door: I think the spider was alarmed at 



'Harvesting Ants and Trap-Door Spiders. 



