Mr. S. S. Saunders's Observations. 165 



XXIV. Additional Observations on the Habits o/Mygale. 

 By S. S. Saunders, Esq. 



[Read 4th July, 1842.] 



Having obtained several nests which were taken from the ground 

 in the month of October, and incased in some of their natural 

 earth within a small box the top of which was closed with bars of 

 wood, I placed this box out in a balcony, where it remained 

 neglected and unopened until the month of April following, when 

 the spiders were all found alive and well, clinging to their oper- 

 cula in order to prevent the same from being opened. This was 

 effected by the bulb of the coverlid being firmly grasped with the 

 four anterior feet and palpi, the remainder resting low down upon 

 the posterior walls of the tube, while the porrected mandibles 

 were firmly inserted in the front part of the tube near the top, 

 thus offering a powerful resistance, greater than would have been 

 effected by the mandibles acting upon the valve as mentioned by 

 M. Audouin in his observations on M.fodiens. 



The upper portion of two of these nests, wliich broke in the 

 process of extraction, were then placed in an open flower-pot, 

 with a sufficient quantity of the same earth well moistened and 

 compressed, so as to form a compact body in imitation of the soil 

 itself, the spiders clinging all tlie while to the coverlid without 

 regard to their temporary exposure through the broken part of 

 tube. Thus imbedded, it remained to be seen whether they would 

 construct a new bottom to their nests, and whether such bottom 

 would be closed where the tube now terminated, or be carried 

 further down into the earth according to the usual depth. 



A third spider was placed in the same pot, with his tube top in 

 a reversed position, the operculum being buried to the depth of 

 about three inches, and the open part of the tube, where broken 

 off, being placed on a level with the surface, in order that the 

 insect might be tempted to adapt a new door to this part in the 

 actual emergency. 



Fearing, however, that the spider might escape before the 

 necessary steps could be taken to cover the pot with some trans- 

 parent substance to observe the work, the hour being also late, a 

 strong paper stopper was fixed in the top of the tube to await 

 until the following day. This remained undisturbed up to eleven 

 o'clock at night ; but on my return in the morning I found this 

 stopper lying aside, and the top of the tube closed with a single 



