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II. Additional notes and ohseiTatio)is on the life-history of 

 Atypus piceus. By Frederick Enock, F.E.S. 



[Eead November 4tli, 1891.] 



Since I had the honour of bringmg before the Entomo- 

 logical Society my notes on this most interesting spider, 

 I have been enabled to confirm all my previous observa- 

 tions, and to add a few additional facts. 



The most difficult point in the life-history is to settle 

 the age to which the female arrives before and after 

 maturity, for, owing to various changes, I have not yet 

 succeeded in keeping and watching one colony of spiders 

 beyond seven years ; but I am in hope of having a 

 chance of establishing a fresh colony this spring in a 

 locality where the spiders will not be disturbed, and 

 where I can label and keep exact record of each nest. 



One very interesting fact I have established in con- 

 nection with the age of the female. On October 15th, 

 1883, I dug up a large tube containing female and her 

 family, which I carefully reset in a large flower-pot, 

 where, on March 16th, 1884, the young spiderlings 

 commenced to emerge, and look about for suitable sites 

 for their future dwellings. The maternal home or tube 

 had been put into thorough repair in October, and no 

 doubt the walls had been relined from top to bottom with 

 new silken tapestry, a task a spider seems to manage 

 better than the " British workman," in spite of having a 

 family of upwards of a hundred baby si)iders to look 

 after. After this mother had started her brood on their 

 own account, she repaired the small aperture made by 

 the exit of the family, and then settled down to apparent 

 ease, comfort, and perfect health, enjoying an occasional 

 meal of a blow-fly, until Aiay 1st, 1886, when I could 

 not rouse her ; and, on breaking open the tube, and 

 digging up the lower part, I found her dead, after having 

 lived in solitude for more than two years since turning 

 her brood out. On October 29th, 188G, I put six 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1892. PART I. (MARCH.) 



