Git1es.—On the Habits of the Trap-door Spider. 249 
frequently immense quantities of freshly excavated soil are found accumu- 
lated near the nests, corresponding in bulk very much to the size‘of the 
hole, that the spider is able to dig out and construct a full sized nest at 
once, in new ground. For if the process were always gradual from day to 
day, the excavated soil would be, every now and again, washed away by 
heavy rain, preventing any large accumulation of soil, and leaving only the 
stain of the different coloured earth, as is the case in general. It must be 
borne in mind, however, that the clay or soil in front of the holes is all in 
little pellets, like what passes through a worm, and often all the bits are 
cemented together hard, and that this cement hinders the action of the 
weather upon soil which otherwise would very quickly powder into fine 
dust. This cement is, no doubt, produced by the saliva from the mouth, 
and the spider in forming its hole, moulds the excavated clay into these 
little pellets with the viscous secretion, and then carries each little ball up 
to the surface, and deposits it on its dirt heap. Some faint conception of the 
enormous labour and activity of which this little creature is capable, can 
be obtained from this fact, when we consider the extreme minuteness of the 
pellets, as compared with the size of such a hole as No. 8, one inch in 
diameter at the mouth, two inches further down, and fifteen inches deep. 
Renewing the Trap-doors. 
So far as the trap-doors are concerned, the spider has the power of 
renewing them in a single night. This I have proved over and over again, 
by cutting out the trap-door and taking it away, and invariably there was a 
new one on the next morning. As samples of this, I extract the following 
from my note-book :— 9th November, 1874. In the afternoon I went 
down the Bobbin, and found the nests, the trap-doors of which I had eut 
out yesterday, all repaired, or in course of repair. One new door had 
pieces of dried grass woven across the lid and extending to the ground on 
each side, as if to prevent the lid tumbling in, till it was finished, which it 
evidently was not.” ‘16th November, 1874. The nest in the Stable 
paddock, from which I yesterday cut off the trap-door, and sod, about two 
inches below the surface, has to day a new trap-door woven on it.” 
The new door was thin, but complete in every way, with fibres and clay, and 
earth all woven into it. The sides of the nest have also been added to, 
the silk lining being extended over the adjoining ground in a cup-like 
form, to make the proper over-lap for the lid to fall tight down.’’ Again: 
“29th November, 1874. On going this morning to inspect the nests, the 
lids of which I dug out yesterday, I found they all had new doors and 
mouths constructed to them, quite perfect, though the earth, ete., had not 
the compact hard consistency noticeable in older nests. It is quite ‘clear 
therefore, that the spiders can, sae do, construct their trap-doors in a 
single night,” al 
