104 MR. H. W. KEW ON THE 
the wall and explored the floor farther afield. Finding the 
necessary supply without going far, it returned to the nest by 
stepping backwards, going in over the wall abdomen first ; or, 
more often, having to go to a distance, it returned with a forward 
locomotion, re-entering the nest head first. The fragments were 
found and picked up with the palp-fingers, whence they were 
immediately transferred to the chelicere, the animal never 
carrying material home in the palps. Except in the case of 
large fragments it was not satisfied with one, but picked up 
a number in succession, transferring each as found to the 
cheliceree, its actions while thus engaged recalling those of a 
bird accumulating nest-materia!s in its bill. The smaller frag- 
ments were received between the fingers of the chelicere, the 
fixed fingers going over and the movable galea-bearing fingers 
under them ; and as the materials accumulated they appeared to 
be attached together by silk from the galee. Larger fragments, 
while always kept in contact with the chelicerz, and apparently 
more or less attached with silk, were sometimes supported in 
part by the hand or other segments of the palps, or even on the 
dorsal shield of the head; and in this way was brought in at 
least one fragment nearly as big as the animal itself. At the 
conclusion of each collecting expedition the animal returned 
impatiently to the nest; but once within, it turned about and 
deliberated before placing the materials. At length, running 
the burdened chelicerze into some part of the top of the wall, it 
managed thus to release the fragments ; and it now got to work 
at once, attaching them together and to those already placed 
by dabbing silk on their inner surfaces and stretching threads 
from one to the other. During this proceeding the palps were 
brought round so that the great hands and fingers of these 
appendages were close to the inner surface of the wall, the 
animal evidently directing the work by the sense of touch which 
the hairs and perhaps other sense-organs give to these parts. 
Occasionally it adjusted the fragments by propping them with 
the hands and fingers of the palps ; and sometimes, but rarely, it 
held them between these fingers while the first few threads were 
being applied by the chelicere. Apart from this, it constantly 
felt with the palps both the inside and outside of the wall, as if 
to ascertain how the work was progressing. One was parti- 
cularly interested to see how it extended the palps over the 
outside for this purpose, its actions bringing to mind those of a 
bricklayer giving little taps to newly-placed work. There was an 
air of satisfaction about its behaviour, and with reason, for it was 
wonderful to see how the wall grew and began to assume the 
proper curve for the roof. From time to time, as soon as each 
collection of materials had been placed in position, off the animal 
went for another supply; and this continued fetching of fragments 
and building them in was maintained for hours. As the work 
proceeded, moreover, the task became more and more laborious, 
for the animal, no longer able to step over the wall, had to climb 
