Giires.—On the Habits of the Trap-door Spider. 227 
ness of fitting and workmanship. As to the third type—the double-door 
unbranched nest—I can say nothing at all, as no instance of this pecu- 
liarity has come under my notice. It may, however, be found, and, if found, 
might, I think, prove a good distinction. Of the fourth type, the double- 
door branched nest, only one specimen has been found, and that not by myself. 
One with a branch filled up, but, apparently, with no door fitted to it, was 
found by me, and is figured in Sketch No. 1, Plate VIII. So far, therefore, 
as my investigations go, these distinctions as to the types of nests are of 
little use. There are other distinctions, however, in the Oamaru nests, 
which, if I felt myself in the position to generalise, I should be inclined to 
take as the basis of different types of nests. One of these distinctions is, 
nests with enlargements, or bellied nests (as represented in Sketches Nos. 3,5, 
and 7, Plate VIII.), and nests of a somewhat regular width (as represented in 
Sketches No. 6 and 8, Plate VIII.) This distinction I found almost always to 
hold good between two different localities, the Bobbin Creek, and the Stable 
Gully. Another distinction I found also to hold good between these 
localities. In the Stable Gully, where the nests are regular shaped, they 
were always lined to the very bottom, and the silk lining was always de- 
cided and good ; whereas in the Bobbin, with bellied nests, the lining only 
extended two-thirds down the nest, and was neither so regular, nor so like 
silk. There is also a marked distinction in the degree of sinuosity, in the 
shape of the nests in the two localities—those in the Stable Gully, as a 
rule, being much straighter. There also the trap-doors are much more 
ingeniously constructed, and concealed, than in the larger and bellied nests 
in the Bobbin, as will be more fully described further on. I do not put 
these differences forward as distinctions arrived at after mature study ; for, 
as I have said, I do not feel myself yet in the position to generalise. We 
want more facts, and more observation, to enable as to classify, but I only 
indicate them, as far more marked distinctions in the Oamaru nests, than 
those put forward by Moggridge. I am very much inclined to think also, 
that locality, the nature of the soil, the existing conditions of the surface 
much to do with the type of the nest, and that it will yet 
es, under different condi- 
the surface, will 
around, have very 
be found that the same spider, in different localiti 
tions of soil, and with different descriptions of covering on 
construct an entirely different type of nest. Moggridge, himself, in one 
place (page 85), seems to have had some such thought present with him, 
as he says: “ We shall find, we cannot as yet, make any rule as to the 
kind of nest which we may expect from a given spider. It will be seen 
that species belonging to the same genus, and closely resembling one 
another, sometimes build dissimilar nests, whilst others belonging to 
different genera, and unlike in many important respects, construct almost 
