120 



GENERAL ZOOLOGY 



Persons have been bitten by them, and only temporary 

 pain and swelling have resulted, something like that which 



follows the sting of a bee. 



Among the most interesting of 

 the tarantula family are the trap- 

 door spiders of the western and 

 southern states, and of southern 

 Europe. They build burrows, 

 Avhich they line with silk, and 

 provide with a lid lined with silk, 

 attached by one edge to the mouth 

 _of the burrow. A European spe- 

 cies builds a nest with a side tube 

 (Fig. 61) into which it can retreat 



Fio.62. .lumping-Spider. Enlarged. - i{ o f danger, closing a door 

 (After Peckham) ' 5 



at the entrance ot this tube. 



The jumping-spiders (As'tia vittata, Fig. 62) may be recog- 

 nized by the stout, hairy body and the square head. They are 

 usually conspicuously colored, and have bright, staring eyes. 

 They build no 

 webs to capture 

 their prey, but 

 spring upon it, 

 often from a 

 considerable 

 distance. These 

 spiders are 

 interesting on 

 account of the 

 remarkable an- 

 tics which the 

 males perform before the females. Dr. and Mrs. Peckham, 

 in their study of the habits of this group, say : " The fact 

 that the males vie with each other in making an elaborate 



FIG. 63. Harvestman. Natural size 



