398 Mr. F. Enock on the 



it with sand. While this one was engaged making its 

 tube some of the others were still walking about, and, 

 coming close to the tube, the builder immediately 

 stopped work, and the loafers their walk for a moment ; 

 then they quietly shelved off in another direction, but 

 never once crossed the tube, for, though they are peace- 

 able enough when roaming about together, directly they 

 have made anything like a tube for themselves they 

 appear to lose their family affection, and, I regret to 

 say, show fight if molested. 



During the following night all the young spiders had 

 disappeared, and in the course of a few days I noticed a 

 large number of tiny tubes around the angle of the 

 pot, while others had attached theirs to some bits of 

 loose moss. 



Since the above observations were made I have read, 

 in ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History ' for 1876 

 (vol. viii., p. 241), an account, by Rev. 0. P. Cambridge, 

 of an Atypus which he watched making a new nest. 

 The only thing I did not observe which he mentions was 

 that, after the spider had placed the earth against the 

 sides, it patted it all over with its feet. No doubt the 

 young one's feet were too small and tender. 



Considering that there are in each family tube from 

 100 to 150 individuals, we might reasonably expect to 

 meet with this grand spider in far greater abundance ; 

 but I do not hesitate in saying that as they emerge from 

 the tubes on a bright sunny day great numbers of them 

 are destroyed by the ants which swarm about the 

 various colonies. 



On March 30th, whilst watching the young Atypi 

 emerge from the five tubes, I noticed an ant with a 

 spider nt ?^s jffl?('s ; " to keep the balance true," on the 

 other side of the tube was an impudent-looking crab- 

 spider, Xysticvs tliomisus, with an ant in its jaws. 



We must now suppose an interval of three or four years, 

 and probably more, elapses between the last and the 

 next act which I am able to go on with, for I cannot give 

 any proof as to the time Atypus takes to reach maturity ; 

 I believe it is at least four years. I hope I shall not be 

 considered ungallant by describing the habits (so far as 

 I am able) of the male first ; but, as the female is cer- 

 tainly the most interesting (though not the handsomest) 

 of the two, I shall endeavour to let her have the last word. 



