NESTS 



357 



Fig. 195. 



-Turret of Lijcosa carolinensis. 

 (After M'Cook.) 



Lycosidae, but beyond a very slight lining of silk there is usually 

 little spinning work about their nests. Occasionally there is a 

 certain amount of superstructure in the shape of a silken funnel 

 {Lycosa tigrina, M'Cook), 

 or of an agglomeration of 

 twigs and pebbles, as in the 

 case of the " Turret-spider " 

 {Lycosa arenicola, Scudder). 



A colony of our hand- 

 some species, Lycosa 2^'^cta, 

 is an interesting sight to 

 watch. Their favourite 

 habitat is a sandy soil, 

 variegated with many- 

 coloured patches of moss and lichen, among which their own 

 markings are calculated to render them inconspicuous. The 

 observer, by lying perfectly still, may see them silently stealing 

 forth from their burrows in the bright sunshine, and huntins; 

 diligently in the neighbourhood, ready to dart back on the 

 faintest alarm, or if the sun should be temporarily obscured by 

 a passing cloud. So closely do they resemble their surround- 

 ings, that it is only when in motion that they can readily be 

 detected. It is very curious to see them popping out their heads 

 to ascertain that the coast is clear before venturing forth, and 

 the utter silence of their operations adds to the eeriness of the 

 effect. The tubes of these spiders, though without a trap-door, and 

 only slightly lined with silk, are Y-shaped like those of Nemesia 

 congener, the main tunnel giving off a blind branch about half- 

 way down. 



The nest of the Water-spider, Argyroneta aqimtica, must not 

 be passed over without mention. This spider, though strictly 

 an air-breathing animal, spends almost the wliole of its existence 

 beneath the water. That it can live in such a medium is due 

 to the fact that the long hairs which clothe its abdomen retain 

 a bubble of air as it swims beneath the water, so that it carries 

 with it its own atmosphere. The air-bubble which invests its 

 l>ody gives it a strong resemblance to a globule of quicksilver, 

 and renders it a pretty object in an aquarium as it swims about 

 in search of food or in prosecution of its spinning operations. 



Of these the most interesting is the building of its nest. 



