160 OUR INSECT FRIENDS AND FOES 



Other species of Mygale live during the day- 

 time under large stones, or in some crack or 

 cranny where they are sheltered from the hot 

 sun, and only come forth at night intent on evil 

 deeds. A few burrow in the ground; Mygale 

 Blondii makes a broad tunnel about two feet 

 long, in a slanting direction in the earth, and 

 lines it completely with soft silk, and as sunset 

 approaches, its wicked-looking head may be seen 

 protruding from the mouth of its den on the 

 watch for some hapless victim to pass that way. 



The " Trap-door Spiders " are also members 

 of the Mygale family ; many species inhabit the 

 old world, but are considerably smaller than 

 their foreign relations. These Spiders are very 

 common in Southern Europe, and are interesting 

 on account of the very remarkable dwelling they 

 construct for themselves. Madam " Trap-door " 

 first burrows a tunnel in the ground; this is 

 generally a vertical shaft, and is beautifully lined 

 with a silken tube. She then hollows out a 

 chamber in the side of the shaft which first 

 inclines upwards and then downwards, and in 

 the doorway hangs a silken curtain, so as to cut 

 it off from the main burrow and form an inner 

 sanctuary, into which she can retreat should an 

 enemy invade her domain. At the top of the 

 main shaft the Spider fixes a lid or .trap-door, 

 made of particles of earth held together by 

 several layers of silk, so that it is quite firm and 

 strong. Sometimes this door exactly fits the 

 mouth of the tunnel, like a regular stopper, but 

 in other cases it is merely a flap that lies on the 

 ground, covering the entrance and hiding it 



