118 BLUEFIELDS. 



hold for the Spider's claws, when she would keep her 

 door shut against the efforts of an enemy ; for what 

 would be the use of having them in the tube, close to 

 the lid, so close that not the eighth of an inch inter- 

 venes between the series of the lid and that of the 

 tube, when the former is tightly closed ? I would 

 suggest whether they may not be air-holes ; for so 

 tight is the fitting of the lid, and so compact the 

 texture of the material, that I should suppose the 

 interior would be impermeable to air, but for this 

 contrivance. And as those in the horizontal lid might 

 possibly be closed by minute particles of earth rolling 

 on it, the second row around the edge of the per- 

 pendicular tube, just at the surface of the ground, 

 would still be available in such a contingency. They 

 may admit also an appreciable amount of light. On 

 viewing such a structure, with its beautiful contriv- 

 ances for security and comfort, we may well say with 

 the Psalmist, "O Lord, how manifold are Thy works ! 

 in wisdom hast Thou made them all." 



The Spider that inhabits this nest is black, with 

 the thorax of an exceedingly lustrous polish ; its ab- 

 domen is full and round, its legs very short. It 

 retreats on alarm to the bottom of its tube, whence 

 it is very reluctant to be dragged ; and when ex- 

 posed, seems inert and helpless. Yet it is much 

 dreaded, its bite being reputed to cause tumefac- 

 tion, and painful fever. 



TERMITES, OR DUCK-ANTS. 



In going only a few rods into the woods, a stranger 

 cannot help observing many of the trees encompassed 



