ÜoreNso.— On some newly-discovered New Zealand Arachnids. 169 
The spot seems to have been a remarkably soft one, of a loose spongy 
muddy nature ; for early in the following month (August) he thus writes:— 
** I found these four spiders, now sent, from one to two feet under ground ; 
but what was black swampy soil last month, is now mud since the heavy 
rains. This mud seems to boil up through cracks in the upper stratum of 
clay. I put a bar of iron down sixteen feet, and found soft mud only, and 
no bottom.” 
On the 19th of August he again writes: “ In further carrying out your 
wishes I have again been a-spider-hunting, and I give you the result. I 
found a round hole 3-in. in diameter in the elevated side of the drain. In 
carefully cutting into it I first came upon thousands of ants! I never 
before found so many in one spot. This hole ran nearly horizontally, and 
was about 6 in. in depth; it was lined throughout with spiders’ web, and 
its bottom was also covered with web; two spiders of small size were in the 
bottom of this hole. I also found two wings of an insect with the spiders 
at the bottom; these I also send you with them. The clay, ete., on the 
outside of the entrance to the hole was excavated from within and thrown 
down. Another similar hole had a blue-gum leaf fastened down with web 
across its entrance, but there was nothing in it. Another hole, which ran 
8-9 inches vertically, had a big spider reposing in the bottom. I could not 
find any more large spiders, but there are plenty of small ones left. None 
feigned death on being captured; on the contrary they always ran nimbly 
away, endeavouring to hide themselves by getting under anything. They 
run very quickly with their legs spread out all round. One of the largest 
(of those I first sent you) when dug out fel! from off the shovel into the 
drain, and immediately dived under the liquid mud! I plunged the shovel 
in after it and brought up a shovel-full of mud, and the spider was among 
it, looking as clean and dry as if it had never been in it, which quite sur- 
prised me. Their colours, I find, are much darker after being immersed in 
the spirits; the yellow stripes are not near so bright as when they were 
living, and their velvety appearance wholly gone." 
Since receiving the foregoing communications, I have had. at various 
times down to the present, several letters from Mr. Drummond, but 
nothing additional of consequence has been discovered. I much wished to 
obtain a specimen of a male; for, although I have received several specimens, 
both large and small, they are all females; and I regret to say that I have 
not yet succeeded. This, however, is no uncommon occurrence among the 
Araneida, as it is well known that the males are everywhere fewer in num- 
ber than the females and consequently much more rarely met with ; besides, 
I believe it is pretty well ascertained, that among the Territelaria, or trap- 
door spiders, the male is never found within those holes or tubes. And as 
