84 Captain T. Hutton's observations on Galeodes vorax. 



On another occasion I gave it a large garden lizard, which was 

 instantly seized by the middle of the body ; the lizard, tinding that 

 it could not shake off its adversary, turned its head and bit the 

 Galeodes on one leg, which obliged it immediately to quit its hold 

 and retreat : this was owing to the seizure having been made too 

 low down on the body, for in general the Galeodes seizes as close 

 behind the shoulder as can be, in order to put it out of the vic- 

 tim's power to turn and bite ; the lizard was allowed to escape 

 with only a severe wound in the side, but as it lived for some days 

 before I allowed it to run off, the bite of the Galeodes wordd not 

 appear to be poisonous. 



On another occasion, my friend Dr. Baddeley confined one of 

 these spiders in a wall-shade with two young musk rats {Sorex 

 Indicus), both of which were killed by it. 



When two of these spiders are confined in a vessel together, 

 both endeavour to make their escape, as if conscious of their mu- 

 tual danger. If, in their efforts to get away, they are brought into 

 contact, the one instantly seizes the other and devours hhn, the 

 victim makhig no struggles whatever ; but if they meet face to 

 face, both enter into a wrestling-match for life or death. 



They plant their true feet firmly on the ground, the body at the 

 same time being elevated, and the two pairs of palpi held out in 

 front to ward off the attack. In this attitude they advance and 

 retire, according as either gains a slight advantage, endeavoui-ing 

 to throw each other to one side, so as to expose some vulnerable 

 part, or form an opening for attack ; and when this is once effected, 

 the fortunate wi-estler instantly takes advantage of it, and rushing 

 in seizes his adversary behind the thorax, and the combat is ended ; 

 the vanquished victim yielding himself without further struggle 

 to his inevitable fate. 



The same species occurs in the Bhawulpore country, fi'om 

 whence I obtained it when constructing the road for the advance 

 of the army of the Indus in 1838. It is also abundant in Af- 

 ghanistan, where in all probability it is the species mistaken by 

 Elphinstone for the Tarantula, which he describes as common in 

 that country, but which I neither saw nor heard of. 



Tlie usual size of an adult specimen of " Galeodes {vorax)," 

 mihi, is about 2i to 2| inches long, and the body or abdomen 

 equal to a thrush's egg. When in motion the body is elevated 

 off the ground, and the two pairs of palpi or feelers are stretched 

 out ready to make a seizure : it progresses therefore solely upon 

 the true legs, which spring from the thorax, and are six in num- 

 ber. The head is armed with tv,'#) strong and formidable chel?e, 

 or double jaws, answering to the long cheliform fore-arms of the 

 scorpion ; these jaws are denticulate, and the ends are cui'ved, 

 sharp-pointed, and extremely hard and horny, of a dark brown 



