How Animals Work. 



the elaborate outer tube. Whether this is due to lack 

 of suitable materials or to laziness on the part of the 

 individual spider it is hard to say. The Tarantula is 

 a near relation to the Trap-door Spiders, and as these 

 appear to display considerable individuality in the con- 

 struction of their nests, it may be due to individual 

 idiosyncrasy that some of the Tarantula nests lack the 

 outer elaborate tube. 



The true Trap-door Spiders are of especial interest, 

 for the homes which they construct for themselves dis- 

 play a wonderful amount of skill and ingenuity. These 

 spiders inhabit tropical and sub-tropical countries, and 

 appear to have a wide geographical distribution, being 

 found in Europe along the shores of the Mediterranean, 

 in Africa, India, Australia, Central South America, and 

 the West Indies. Largely nocturnal in their habits, 

 and their nests so wonderfully hidden as to easily escape 

 the most trained eyes, comparatively little is known 

 about the general life and habits of these intensely 

 interesting creatures, and it is highly probable that, 

 owing to their retiring habits, they have escaped the 

 observation of travellers in many countries, and there- 

 fore may be far more numerous than is generally sup- 

 posed. They have, however, in the person of Mr. 

 J. T. Moggridge, found an able biographer, who devoted 

 many years of an invalid life to the study of their habits, 

 and, indeed, laid the foundation of our present know- 

 ledge of their methods of nest-building and general ways 

 of life. The progress of natural science affords many 

 instances of brave and patient men and women who 

 have sought and found mental relief and distraction 

 from their bodily sufferings by the close observation 



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