72 STRANGE DWELLINGS. 



as to show the valve which closes it ; but no one who really 

 takes an interest in natural history can pass this nest without 

 pausing in admiration. The workmanship is wonderful, and 

 the hole, with its cover, looks as if it had been made in clay, 

 by means of the potter's wheel, so regular and true are its out- 

 lines. The hole itself is circular, but the door is semi-circular, 

 the hinge extending across the middle of the aperture. 



Two points in this door are specially worthy of notice, the 

 one b'eing that its edge, as well as that of the aperture, is 

 bevelled off inwards, so that the accurate closure of the en- 

 trance is rendered a matter of absolute certainty. The second 

 point is, that the outer surface of the door, together with the 

 surrounding earth, is ingeniously covered with little projections, 

 so that when the door is closed, the line which, on smooth 

 ground, would have marked its presence is totally hidden. 

 The shape of the door, too, is remarkable. Towards its hinge 

 it is comparatively thin, but upon the edge it is very thick, 

 solid, and heavy, so that its own weight is sufficient to keep it 

 firmly closed. The ' hinge,' to which allusion has frequently 

 been made, is not a separate piece of workmanship, but is a 

 continuation of the silken tube which lines the tunnel. An 

 exact imitation of its principle may be made by taking the 

 cover of a book, and cutting it across from the inside, until all 

 its substance except the cloth or leather is severed, and then 

 bending the two portions back. The cloth or leather will then 

 form a hinge precisely similar to that of the Trap-door Spider, 

 the pasteboard taking the place of the earthen door. 



