life-history of Atypus piceus. 393 



as high as possible. I boxed a few, which I examined 

 under my microscope, when I noticed a peculiar move- 

 ment apparently in or under the eyes, but could not 

 arrive at any satisfactory conclusion as to the cause, 

 and the spiders soon died. 



On Sept. 13th, 1881, I dug up a tube containing a 

 female and young, a number of which had only just gone 

 through their first moult, the cast- skins in the tube 

 testifying to this fact. 



Finding the young Atiqn wandering about on the 

 wild sage, on April 2nd, 1876, somewhat puzzled me ; 

 so I wrote to Rev. 0. P. Cambridge, informing him of 

 the fact. He replied : — " This, if a usual mode of 

 putting their families out, would be, so far as I know, 

 quite a new fact in their history ; and, if usual, you 

 would be sure to find them again so placed." I have 

 carefully searched for them, but only once have I found 

 one (April 20th, 1877), almost at the exact spot where 

 I found the others. 



I was much puzzled as to the length of time which 

 elapses, from the entry of the male into the nest of the 

 female, to when the young made their appearance. My 

 idea was that eighteen months would prove to be about 

 the time, and, though I searched year after year for 

 proof, I did not ascertain until the present year (1885) ; 

 but now I am able to place it beyond a doubt. 



On Oct. 15th, 1883, I dug up at Woking (where I have 

 found four very large colonies) five tubes, each con- 

 taining a male and female. I removed the males 

 and reset the five tubes (containing the impregnated 

 females) in a bank at the bottom of my garden ; 

 this bank I made of turves from the Common, 

 arranging it with great care, so that it should resemble 

 their natural habitat as much as possible, facing 

 S.W. To each of these five tubes I placed a good- 

 sized wooden peg, with the number painted on, so 

 that there should not be any chance of it washing out. 

 These five and many others have been under almost 

 daily notice ever since, being a constant source of 

 interest during the spring and summer of 1884. 



On March 28th, 1885, the sun was very hot, shining 

 full upon my bank. I noticed the tubes (about thirty), 

 which during the winter had been nearly flat to the 

 bank, were showing signs of " spring cleaning," and the 



