252 Transactions.—Z ology. 
the co-operation and assistance of another spider, probably the male. 
Many instances of this came under my notice, but as the facts observed are 
of themselves insufficient to justify the propounding of any theory I will 
not attempt to arrange them under any classification, but simply copy what 
I have noted in my field-book, in the hope that attention being now drawn 
to the matter, a larger number of facts may be recorded on the subject 
' leading ultimately to a clear explanation of the mystery :—‘ 8th November, 
1874. Bobbin Gully. Saw one large heap of clay, but could not find the 
door anywhere near it, the ground being quite bare. The clay was all 
hardened and glazed on the top though fresh; so I took my knife, and cut 
off the surface clay (about an inch thick), intending to carry it home as a 
good specimen of excavation. When, to my surprise, I found a large hole 
underneath going down into the ground. On turning over the cake of clay, 
I found the upper end of the nest which I had cut off, with the trap-door 
shut and sealed down, the side which had opened, being tied down to the 
side of the nest by a number of fine threads. Some very minute spiders 
were moving about inside. This hole had evidently been used for shunting 
out the excavated clay, and when this had been accomplished, the lid was 
shut down and sealed from the inside, and yet the inmate has probably 
another means of egress, as the outside of the trap-door was wholly undis- 
tinguishable, being all covered over with clay, the same as its surroundings, 
and carefully smoothed and glazed with a crust. At any rate the spider 
does not use that hole now for ingress or egress, but it had been used for 
tipping out the clay, and then closed. Not having a spade with me, I could 
not examine it, but will do so again. I secured the clay with the lid and the 
top of the nest.’’ You have it now before you, No. 28. ‘9th November, 
1874. In the afternoon, I examined the nest, the door of which was sealed 
up, and found a new fresh lid upon it. I dug the nest out, and found the 
spider, a large one, alive near the bottom, but no signs of any other means 
of ingress or egress. This is a perfect mystery to me, but it is just pos- 
sible I may have mistaken the hole, though I do not think so.” You will 
see Iam giving you exactly what I noted in my field-book at the time. 
This was the first case of the sort I had observed or read of, and naturally 
I was careful, even to doubting my own accuracy. I have since seen so 
many instances of the same thing, that now I have no doubt whatever, 
about its being the same hole. “The nest was ten inches deep and very 
sinuous, having four distinct bends, north, south, east, and west. Sketch 
No. 8, is a plan of it, but the clay section is also secured (nest No. 8.) The 
cephalo-thorax in this spider, No. 8, is peculiarly large and broad. In the 
bottom of the hole, were lots of débris of food, wings, legs, hard cases of 
beetles, etc., and a brown material, like old moss, but this is found in them 
