408 Mr. F. Eiiock on the 



the tube quietly and almost imperceptibly becoming 

 distended, tlie spider evidently making some sort of 

 move uliich I could not then make out ; and there was 

 no time for reflection, for after a moment's pause the 

 fangs were thrust right through the fly, followed by a 

 crunching sound as the spider closed and almost crossed 

 the tip of the fangs around its prey. I let go with my 

 pliers and watched ; the left-hand fang was withdrawn 

 just into the tube, which was immediately torn, the fang 

 refixed into the fly ; the right fang was then withdrawn, 

 and quickly seized the fly through the opening made ; 

 then the spider commenced to give several tugs, until it 

 had pulled the fly right through, backing down the 

 tube with it fast in its falces, leaving a rent a quarter of 

 an inch long by three-sixteenths of an inch wide. After 

 an interval of three minutes I saw the tube move, and 

 up came the spider, moving very cautiously towards the 

 rent, on reaching which she opened her falces and 

 literall}^ takimj hold of the rough edges, drew them 

 towards each other in the most marvellous manner until 

 almost close together ; she then backed a little, and 

 turned right round, bringing her spinners to the edge at 

 one side ; she seemed to be able to use these spinners 

 with as much ease as we do our Angers ; taking hold of 

 one edge she pulled it almost close to the other, then 

 making some seven or eight zigzag movements with the 

 spinners she completely closed the rent, leaving it most 

 neatly repaired. The spider then returned to feast upon 

 the blow-fly, which she had no doubt hung up in her 

 delightfully cool larder at the bottom of her tube. 



The next morning the rent was covered with sand so 

 carefully that I could scarcely detect where it had been. 



Since this experiment I have frequently teased the tube 

 with the tip of my finger, and had very narrow escapes 

 of being transfixed. At other times the tube would be 

 drawn in, in such a determined manner that I quite 

 understood the movement to mean, "I don't want any- 

 thing more." I have known a spider to retain her hold 

 upon the tube in this manner for several hours. 



Jidij 'ZSrd, 188B. — 1 repeated the trial upon the same 

 tube with a blow-fly, and with exactly the same results. 

 I also tried another large tube, the spider striking so 

 quickly that it clipped ofl" the head of the fly in the 

 neatest manner possible, besides scratching my finger. 



