life-history of Atypus piceus. 395 



taking lodgings therein for the night, during which we 

 had a sharp frost of six degrees. 



The next morning <tll the small outlets in the tubes 

 were carefully spun up, and, judging from the "mesh " 

 of the web, I should say the female had, with a mother's 

 care, closed the opening so securely that the remaining 

 members of her family could not make their di'bftt until 

 more favourable weather. 



Another tube with female and young, taken Oct. 15th, 

 1883, I put into a large flower-pot of sand, which I 

 placed in a conservatory. March 16th, 1884, an 

 exceedingly hot day, I found the young Atypi crawling 

 all about some geraniums, over and around which they 

 had made a regular sort of silken trellis by their crossing 

 and recrossing. Nearly all had disappeared by next 

 morning. I was called away, and prevented from 

 securing any of them, but noticed that two had found 

 their way into a large bell-glass nearly filled with sand, 

 already containing two tubes with females. 



On October 4th, 1884, I dug up a tube containing a 

 female and young, which I immediately reset in a large 

 flower-pot with sand up to within an inch and a half 

 of the top. This I placed in a warm room, where I 

 could examine it at any time. On the 7th the aerial 

 part was much inflated ; the 9th, the female evidently 

 enlarging her premises, the heap of sand lying at the 

 end, giving me good evidence that she had added about 

 one inch in depth to her tube. No doubt the warmth of 

 the room brought on the young somewhat earlier than 

 usual, for on January 30th, 1885, I noticed a small 

 round hole at the top of the tube. The next day (Jan. 

 31st) I observed seven young ones crawling round and 

 round the inside edge of the pot under the glass cover ; 

 Feb. 1st, fifteen ; the 2nd, thirty-one ; and the 3rd, fifty- 

 four. These continued their peregrinations during the 

 whole of the day, forming a perfect tunnel of silk, 

 attached to the cover and edge of the pot. I noticed 

 that they could easily force their way through the silken 

 walls when pressed too hard by their followers. 



Feb. 4th was a very fine day ; I placed the pot out in 

 the sun. I was called away from home that day, and 

 the spiders were left out all the night, which was a very 

 wet one, followed by a sharp frost. On looking for them 

 next day not one was to be seen ; l)ut, on closer examin- 



