TRAPDOOR SPIDER 



5865 



TRAVERTINE 



supplied troops to the force of 25,000 men 

 raised by the Union in 1915 for the invasion of 

 German East Africa and to the overseas expe- 

 dition to aid the allies in Europe. E.B.P. 



Consult Fisher's The Transvaal and the Boers; 

 Tangye's In New South Africa. 



Related Subjects. The following articles in 

 these volumes will give further information on 

 the subject of the Transvaal : 

 Bantu Pretoria 



Boer South African War 



Diamond Tsetse Fly 



Gold Union of South Africa 



Johannesburg 



TRAP 'DOOR SPI'DER, the name applied 

 to an interesting group of spiders found in 

 warm regions. The name refers to a hinged 

 door of silk and earth which the spider con- 

 structs to cover the round entrance to its un- 



TRAPDOOR SPIDER AND ITS NEST 



derground tunnel. This door, made of alter- 

 nate layers of silk and mud, fits the entrance 

 perfectly, and is hinged at one side to the silk 

 lining of the burrow. In loosening and carry- 

 ing away earth and in spinning silk to make 

 the door and lining, the spider works long and 

 laboriously. Tunnels almost an inch across 

 and a foot long are dug by a species found in 

 the southwestern part of the United States. 

 When in danger the spider flees into the tunnel 

 and clings to the door with its jaws. The bur- 

 row is also a place of refuge for the mother 

 spider when rearing her young. As a measure 

 of precaution the entrance is concealed by a 

 covering of earth or gravel. These spiders are 

 large, hairy creatures, belonging to the taran- 

 tula family. They feed principally on ants and 

 other wingless insects, and sometimes on cater- 

 pillars and earthworms. 



TRAPEZIUM, trapeez'ium, a plane figure 

 having four sides, none of which are parallel. 

 See QUADRILATERAL, subhead Trapezoid and 

 Trapezium. 



TRAPPISTS, trap'ists, a branch of the Cis- 

 tercian Order of monks, famed for the austerity 

 of its rules. These were introduced in 1664 by 



the abbot of La Trappe, a Cistercian monastery 

 founded in Normandy, France, in 1140. The 

 Order is classed among the most rigorous of 

 the Roman Catholic Church. At the time of 

 the expulsions in France in 1903 there were 

 fifty-eight Trappist monasteries in that country. 

 At the present time, the Trappist monasteries 

 are scattered throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, 

 the United States, Canada and China. 



A member of the Trappist Order gives most 

 of his time to prayer and meditation; the fast 

 rule is severe, and meat, wine and beer are 

 absolutely forbidden. Strict silence is ob- 

 served, except in the case of necessity or in the 

 entertainment of guests, but hospitality is 

 recommended. The bed consists of a board and 

 a pillow of straw, and at night the garments are 

 not removed. Several hours daily are devoted 

 to hard labor, and in heathen countries the 

 work of the Order is directed to the civilization 

 and education of the natives. 



TRAVERSE, trav'ers, CITY, MICH., the 

 county seat of Grand Traverse County, is situ- 

 ated at the mouth of the Boardman River, at 

 the southern end of Grand Traverse Bay, an 

 inlet of Lake Michigan. It is in the upper 

 western part of the lower peninsula, 145 miles 

 north of Grand Rapids and sixty miles north- 

 east of Manistee, and is on the Grand Rapids 

 & Indiana, the Manistee & Northeastern, the 

 Pere Marquette and the Traverse City, Lee- 

 lanau & Manistee railroads. In 1910 the popu- 

 lation was 12,115; this had increased to 13,816 

 in 1916 (Federal estimate). The area of the 

 city exceeds five square miles. Traverse City 

 is attractively situated, and is a popular sum- 

 mer resort. Prominent features are the Fed- 

 eral building, Carnegie Library, the county 

 normal, the Northern Michigan Insane Asylum 

 and the city parks. The industrial establish- 

 ments include manufactories of oval wooden 

 dishes, cornstarch, agricultural implements and 

 fur coats. Traverse City was settled about 1850 

 and was chartered as a city in 1895. The com- 

 mission form of government was adopted in 

 1913. R.H.E. 



TRAVERTINE, trav'ur tin, a white or straw- 

 colored porous stone formed from the lime de- 

 posits of streams, lakes and springs. It is a 

 soft and spongy rock, easily worked when first 

 quarried, but hardening afterwards. Large de- 

 posits are found in many parts of Italy. It is 

 the material that was used for the outside walls 

 of numerous buildmcs of ancient and modern 

 Rome, including Saint Peter's and the Colos- 

 seum. Among the ancient Romans it was known 



