WILD LIFE IN CALIFORNIA 



equipped with a pair of jointed appendages 

 which when unfolded for use look like a pair 

 of mandibles. They are known as falces. The 

 outer joint is saber-like and folds inward like 

 the blade of a pocket-knife. The falces are 

 used to kill their prey. A duct runs through 

 each joint, opening at the tip, through which 

 the spider forces a jet of poison from connect- 

 ing glands located in the cephalothorax. Not 

 infrequently spiders seize and hold their vic- 

 tims with their falces, especially when the 

 prey is large and troublesome to subdue. 



I had a house spider also under observa- 

 tion after I became interested in the Black 

 Widow, which, as I have stated, was a field 

 or outdoor spider. The former had a beauti- 

 ful seal brown color of a velvety texture and 

 was about a half-inch in length. Upon cap- 

 ture she was placed in a ten-ounce bottle, 

 where she remained for a few weeks over a 

 year. For the first month I kept the mouth 

 of the bottle covered to prevent her escape. 

 During this period she constructed a capsule 

 of webbing on the side of the bottle in which 

 she deposited a batch of eggs. This act indi- 

 cated that she was contented with the situ- 

 ation; therefore I removed the cover of the 

 bottle, giving her opportunity to leave if dis- 

 posed. But so far as I know, she never went 

 outside of her glass domicile. Of course, I 

 supplied the flies necessary for her food. 



I think this spider might properly be styled 

 a dainty eater. One fly seemed to satisfy her 

 needs for some time. If two flies were placed 

 in the bottle within the same half day the 

 second one was ignored for hours. In fact, 

 she would back away if it happened to come 

 in proximity to her in its ramblings. 



Her method of attacking the flies was some- 

 what different from that of the Black 

 Widow, which it will be remembered threw 

 webbing around her victims and trussed them 

 up so they could not move either wings or 

 legs. "Brownie," the name I gave the last 

 spider, simply waited for its victims to come 

 within reach; then she jumped upon and bit 

 them and, so! far as I could see, used no web- 

 bing whatever. In fact, there was little need, 

 if any, for it, for the effect of the bite was 

 instantaneous, resulting either in death or 

 complete paralysis. After capturing the fly 

 the spider would feed on its juices for three 

 to four hours. 



Three months after her residence in the 

 bottle she made another capsule in which 

 more eggs were deposited. Six months after 

 that still another nest with eggs was formed 

 and about ten weeks later a fourth. The 

 capsules were all close together. She passed 

 all of her time on top of the capsules, as if 

 guarding the welfare of the eggs they con- 

 tained. I maintained a careful watch of the 

 eggs, but never observed the slightest change 

 in their appearance from the first time I saw 

 them. 



This spider was fed more generously than 

 the Black Widow, but on four or five occasions 

 during the winter months, by reason of the 

 scarcity of flies, it experienced fasting periods 

 of two and three weeks each. During these 

 times I thought hunger might induce her to 

 leave the bottle on foraging expeditions, but 

 she did not, appearing to prefer remaining at 

 home and having her meals brought to her, 

 although irregular and far apart. 



THE REDUVIIDAE — THE KISSING BUG — THE BITE OF WHICH IS SOMETIMES 

 ATTENDED WITH THE MOST SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. 



