230 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. I. 



The "turrets" are open, no door closing the entrance. Some- 

 times the edges of the chimney are drawn together with numerous 

 strands of silk, effectually closing the entrance, this being done, 

 apparently, at the pleasure or need of the individual, as in Brachy- 

 thele, and not being a seasonal habit of the species. The burrow 

 is long and well lined with a white silk tube of about the thickness 

 and whiteness of that of Eutychides versicolor. The tunnels are 

 commonly considerably reduced in diameter for the last two cen- 

 timeters, making a snug fit for the spider, and here it usually 

 snuggles down tightly when the digging has reached the limit 

 necessary to secure the specimen. Hard soil seems to be pre- 

 ferred by this spider, either sandy or adobe. Tho the upper 

 portion of the nest may be thru loose vegetable mould, the lower 

 portion is sure to be in compact soil. The turret may be sup- 

 ported by grass, etc., or standing alone; it is made of silk within 

 and of soil without, decorated or not with whatever is close at 

 hand, whether as a matter of chance or purpose, a matter of 

 convenience or protective coloration, of adoniment or contribut- 

 ing to the strength of the structure, it is not easy to decide. A 

 neat type is one well decorated with moss and leaves, small twigs, 

 etc., and with a pale green rim of bits of the common drooping 

 tree-lichen, Ramelina (Plate XX, fig. 4) ; another is one with 

 pine-needles fastened all over the exterior, the needles pointing 

 in all directions (Plate XX, fig. 3), common at Pacific Grove. 



Several of these spiders were brought into the laboratory and 

 they readily constructed burrows and turrets in normal maniier, 

 even using loose moss that was placed near the turrets several 

 days after the completion of the nests. 



Young, taken from the nests of the parents, very soon dug 

 each its own burrow and built its chimney, whether put with the 

 mother in one large battery jar, or alone in individual vials. It 

 was very interesting to find them up at the mouths of their tubes, 

 waiting for food material to come along. This was at first only 

 about dusk, but later on was at any time on dark days. Small 

 ants, placed in the jars or vials, were caught and carried into the 

 lower regions of the burrows. Small green aphids were, by one 

 brood especially, eagerly taken from the forceps and carried to 

 their fate. The young spiders would jump out after a passing 

 ant or aphis as far as they could reach, always holding on to the 

 rim of the turret with the claws of the fourth pair of legs. They 

 commonly missed their pray, however, jumping too soon or too 



