404 Mr. F. Enock on the 



keeiiing with the skigs and snails, &c., which our 

 neighbours are so fond of. The dimensions of the tube 

 of this spider, as given by Mons. Simon, being totally 

 different to our representative, — and also the fact 

 mentioned that the tubes are found " concealed by 

 stones or in moss, which one must remove carefully, 

 and in large masses, in order to detect them," — lead me 

 to think that one or the other is wrongly named jnceus. 

 I should much like to know in what way Mons. Simon 

 "frequently surprised Atijpus in the act of holding 

 earth-worms in their falces." I presume the nest must 

 first have been dug up, and, if so, I cannot understand 

 how the spider would retain its hold after the tube has 

 been torn open, which must have been done before the 

 spider could be seen. 



My own humble opinion concerning worms as the food 

 of Atypus entirely agrees with that of Mr. Meade, — that 

 if a worm in its boring pushes against the lower wall of 

 the chamber, where the lining is very thin, the spider 

 seizes it by its head and holds on tight ; the worm, 

 finding it cannot go back again, withdraws its body 

 from its burrow, and, falling to the bottom of the nest, 

 it twists and twirls about, a liberty the spider resents by 

 making rapid bites at it, soon reducing it to mince- 

 meat. 



April 9th, 1879, I dug up a large tube, which had a 

 small opening at the top, the earth rammed hard on the 

 floor or lower end of the tube. On tearing the tube open 

 I found a worm three inches long, nearly bitten in two at 

 half an inch from its head. It had also two minute 

 punctured wounds at an eighth of an inch from the tip, 

 plainly showing that the spider had pinned it as soon as 

 it touched the aerial portion. 



On February 4th, 1884, one of my garden colony had 

 ejected a piece of an earth-worm. 



These are the only instances respecting worms which 

 have come under my own observation. 



From the numerous examinations I have made of the 

 debris taken from the bottom and around the end of 

 various tubes, 1 long ago came to the conclusion that 

 insects form the staple food of Atypus. During April and 

 May I have observed the ejected debris to consist of 

 several species of Andre na and Nomada, with a few 

 Cicindela ; then, later on, various Muscidce ; finishing 



