ON ARACHNIDA. 463 



liquors, such as tafia, rum, soon relieve such symptoms, by 

 inducing sleep and perspiration. Badier has often met with 

 the same species in the island of Guadaloupe ; but he has 

 always found it in argillaceous soils which present a gentle 

 declivity. Retired within its nest, this animal scarcely gives 

 any sign of life. 



Olivier has observed, in the environs of Saint Tropes, and 

 in the isles of Hyeres, the nest of a mygale, which, from its 

 position and construction, would seem to be very distinct fi'om 

 the others, and to announce peculiar manners. This nest was 

 situated in a horizontal soil. Its door, although of clay, 

 and closing of itself by a sort of spring, resembled a circle, 

 from which a small portion had been cut off. It was 

 attached to one of the sides of the aperture, and the entrance 

 was free. The inhabitant was absent, and this naturalist 

 conjectured that it does not close this entrance but at the 

 time when it is actually occupying the nest. M. Latreille 

 believes this species to be his mygale carminaiis. M. Boyer 

 de Foulolombe has observed this same nest with more atten- 

 tion than Olivier, although he was never able to surprise the 

 animal in its dwelling. It is formed of a sort of tube of silk, 

 sunk vertically in the ground, and covered at its orifice by 

 two shutters placed in a horizontal position, at the suface of 

 the soil. A solid partition cuts this external door, a little 

 above it. Some persons informed this naturalist that they 

 had seen the animal come out, and re-enter, shutting the door 

 after it. 



A very curious species is the mason-spider (mygale cemen- 

 taria) which is found in the neighbourhood of Mont- 

 pellier. Almost all the araneides have the two upper hooks 

 of their tarsi pectinated, or formed like a comb, we may 

 easily conceive that from this arrangement of these parts, 

 they find the means proper for the execution of their labours. 

 But the hooks of this mygale, from their simplicity, seem but 



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