22 ^h. F. Rnock's notes and ohscrvaiiona 



females, with their hroods of young, into various pots, 

 the youngsters making their appearance on a warm, 

 bright morning, April 20th, 1887, and the last widowed 

 mother died April 14th, 1890, or close on three years 

 after, a time sufficiently long for most spiders to become 

 great-great-grandmothers. 



Several of the offspring of these venerable females lived 

 in health and strength for about two years, during which 

 time they deepened their tubes several times in warm, 

 moist weather, increasing the original diameter of a 

 sixteenth of an inch to a bare eighth, also adding to the 

 aerial part. One or two, after living in their tubes for 

 two years, were found wandering about, and on May 9th 

 had formed fresh tubes. The following August one 

 colony was reduced to six tubes, and in another month 

 the occupants had succumbed to the poisonous fumes 

 from various ballast-heaps, which had been burning for 

 several months. On digging up the tubes I found them 

 to range from four to hve inches long, and a little over 

 an eighth of an inch in diameter. 



On August 10th, 1888, I found one of the spiderlings, 

 turned out April 25th, 1887, had thrown out from the 

 aerial part of the tube its cast-skin, the first one seen 

 after making its own tube ; but the first muult of the 

 young takes place in the hammock just before they 

 break out into the maternal tube. 



August 14th, 1888. Another of this brood had pushed 

 out its cast-skin. May 16th, 1889, a two-year-old 

 spiderling, in response to a Chirononius held to and 

 kicking against the walls of the tube, came up, struck 

 at and pulled the fly through, coming up a minute and 

 a half later to repair the rent, which it did in a most 

 finished manner. 



^fay 23rd, 1889. Another two-year-old spiderling 

 became dissatisfied with its abode, left it, and soon 

 formed another of somewhat larger dimensions ; and, 

 later on, several of this brood did the same. I imagine 

 the ground had become sour from imperfect drainage. 

 Quite a number of the spiderlings commenced to deepen 

 and enlarge their tubes in April ; in fact, a general 

 " spring cleaning" seemed to be going on all round. 



On March 28th, 1890, I was pleased to find the young 

 colony which 1 had established at Ifampstead in 188(> 

 were doing well, some of tbe tubes measuring a quai-ter 



