Weavers and Spinners. 



air entangled in the dense hairs which cover her body 

 With this she descends to the nest, which she enters, 

 and there proceeds, with the aid of the combs on her 

 feet, to comb out the bubble of air which rises into 

 the dome of the nest. . Again and again this process is 

 repeated, until at last the nest is completely filled with 

 air, and has been converted into a snug, dry chamber 

 a perfect diving-bell, in fact in which the spider lives, 

 and in which she will sleep through most of the winter. 

 That much-abused spider the Tarantula is not only 

 an expert in the art of weaving, but is also a very capable 

 engineer, excavating a cylindrical burrow in the earth, 

 often more than a foot long, and about one inch in 

 diameter, lined with silk throughout its entire length. 

 At about four or five inches below the surface the per- 

 pendicular tube is bent horizontally, and, according to 

 the observations of Dufour, it is at this angle that the 

 Tarantula watches for the approach of enemies or prey. 

 According to the same authority, the external orifice 

 ot the burrow of the Tarantula is ordinarily surmounted 

 by a separately constructed tube, which is a wonderfully 

 perfect piece of architecture, rising to about an inch 

 above the surface of the ground, and sometimes attain- 

 ing a diameter of two inches, in which case its aperture 

 is greater than that of the burrow itself. This exterior 

 tube is principally composed of fragments of wood 

 fastened together with clayey earth, and so artistically 

 disposed one above the other that they form a scaffolding 

 having the shape of an upright column, of which the 

 interior is a hollow cylinder. Although all the Taran- 

 tulas form a silken-lined tunnel or shaft in which to 

 dwell, they do not always take the trouble to construct 



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