70 Observations upon the Tarantula. 



5 in. from the surface, it turns in an obtuse angle, forms a 

 horizontal bend, and then reassumes the perpendicular. It is 

 at the commencement of this bend that the Lycosa, esta- 

 blished as a vigilant sentinel, never for a moment loses sight 

 of the door of his dwelling; and it was there that, at the time 



1 was seeking him, as I shall proceed to relate, I perceived 

 his eyes, glittering like diamonds, rendered bright, like those 

 of a cat, by the darkness. The exterior orifice of the taran- 

 tula's burrow is ordinarily surmounted by a funnel con- 

 structed altogether by itself, and which no author has 

 mentioned. This funnel, a true piece of architecture, rises 

 about I in. above the surface of the soil, and is sometimes 



2 in. in diameter; so that it is larger than the burrow itself. 



This last circumstance, which looks like a piece of fore- 

 thought in the industrious spider, is of wonderful use, in the 

 necessary extension of its legs, at the moment when it is 

 about to seize its prey. This funnel is principally composed 

 of fragments of dry wood united by a little clay, and dis- 

 posed one upon another, in such an artist-like manner, that 

 they form a scaffolding in the shape of an upright column, of 

 which the interior is a hollow cylinder. What establishes 

 most firmly the solidity of this tubular edifice, of this ad- 

 vanced bastion, is, that it is lined, tapestried within by a 

 tissue formed of the threads of the Lycosa, and which is con- 

 tinued through the whole interior. It is easy to conceive 

 how useful this skilfully fabricated drapery must be, both in 

 preventing the crumbling in of the earth, or any such acci- 

 dent to the structure, and for the maintenance of its order, 

 and, also, to assist the tarantula in scaling his fortress. 



I have admitted that this outer fortification of the burrow 

 does not always exist : indeed, I have often met with the holes 

 of tarantulas where no traces of it could be seen. Possibly, in 

 these instances, it might have been accidentally destroyed by 

 unfavourable weather; or the Lycosa might not always meet 

 with materials for its construction ; or, perhaps, the talent for 

 architecture only declares itself in individuals arrived at the 

 last stage of physical and intellectual developement. Never- 

 theless, it is very certain that I have had numerous oppor- 

 tunities of proving the existence of these funnels, these 

 outworks of the tarantula's abode. They illustrated to me, 

 on a larger scale, the cases of some of the Phryganeae. 

 This spider has had many purposes to answer in its con- 

 struction. It not only protects its intrenchment from inun- 

 dations, and fortifies it against the falling of external bodies, 

 which, swept bv the winds, would be likely to close it up, 

 but it also serves as an ambush, by offering to flies, and other 



