ARACHNID A. 191 



attracted by a curious movement of the large grey-brown Mygale 

 on the trunk of a large tree. It was close beneath a crevice or deep 

 cliuiik in the tree, across which this species weave a dense web. 

 In the present instance, the lower part of the web was broken, and 

 two pretty little finches were entangled in its folds, one of them 

 was quite dead, but secured in the broken web; the other was 

 under the body of the spider, not quite dead, and was covered in 

 part with the filthy saliva of the monster. As I was retm-ning from 

 a day's excursion at the time, witli my boxes full of valuable and 

 delicate insects, and six miles from my house, I could not have 

 brought the specimens liome, even if I had wished, which I did not, 

 as the species was very common and easily procured. On the 

 extensive plains of Santarem tliere are hundreds of their broad 

 slanting burrows. These localities are almost destitute of insects, 

 but they swarm with small lizards and birds, upon which the Mygale 

 seems to feed." 



The Mason Spiders (Mygale cementaria) excavate for themselves 

 subterranean caverns wherein tliese marauders lurk, secure from 

 detection, even by the most watchful foe ; nor could any robber's den 

 that ever existed in the wild regions of romance, boast more sure 

 concealment from pursuit, or 

 immunity from observation. 

 The construction of these sin- 

 gular caverns has long excited 

 the admiration of the natu- 

 ralist. A deep pit is first 

 dug by the spider, often to 

 the depth of one or two feet, 

 which being carefully lined 

 throughout with silken tape- 

 stry, aftbrds a warm and 

 ample lodging. The entrance 

 to this excavation is carefully 

 guarded by a lid or door, 

 which moves upon a hinge, 

 and accm-ately closes the 

 mouth of the pit. In order Fig. 150.— trap-doop. spider. 



to form the door in question, 



the Mygale first spins a web, which exactly covers the mouth of 

 the hole, but which is attached to the margin of its aperture by one 

 point only of its circumference. This point, of course, forms the 

 hinge. The spider then proceeds to spread upon the web a thin 

 layer of the soil, collected in the neighbourhood of her dweUing ; 

 this she fastens with another stratum of silk ; layer after layer is 

 thus disposed, until at length the door acquires sufficient strengtli 

 and thickness. When perfected, the concealment aftbrded is com- 

 plete, for as the outer layer of the lid is formed of earth precisely 

 similar to that whicli surrounds the hole, the strictest search will 

 scarcely reveal to the most practised eye the retreat so singularly 

 defended. 



As might be expected, there are varieties in the shape and size of 

 these nests. Some specimens, obtained in the island of Zante, have 

 the silken layers of the lid extended into a sort of bundle or lever 

 just above the hinge, on pressing which the trap-door opens. 



