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which it is menaced causing it to desert its post. But as 

 soon as it has been expelled from its dwelling, one would 

 believe that it had lost all its vigour. It appears languid, 

 benumbed, and if it makes some steps, it is only in a tottering 

 manner. It is never seen of itself to issue forth from its 

 habitation, and the light of day appears to be injurious to it. 

 Olivier tells us that the mygale ariana, which belongs to the 

 island of Naxos, remains constantly in its nest during the 

 day, and never leaves it but at night. 



The Abbe Sauvages had discovered the mason-spider in 

 the neighbourhood of Montpellier, on the edges of the 

 roads, and the high banks of the small river of Lez. But the 

 description which he had given of it was very insufficient. 

 This defect, however, was supplied by Dorthes, in a memoir 

 in the second volume of the Linnasan Transactions. 



Dorthes has added some observations to those of Sauvages. 

 If the lid which closes the entrance be fixed with a pin, or if 

 it be taken away, a new one is found to the aperture on the 

 following day. It appears certain, that it is only by night 

 that this animal plunders, and works at the construction of its 

 abode. The bottom of this often contains debris of various 

 insects, and even of tolerably large coleoptera. In August 

 this spider attains its full growth, is disposed for coupling, 

 and is most timid. Fecundity appears to change the cha- 

 racter of the female ; become a mother in September, she no 

 longer flees, but grows fierce and more voracious. The 

 threads which she extends over the inequalities of the ground 

 near her dwelling, procure her different insects for nutriment, 

 and more especially diptera. She then lives in society with 

 the male, and Dorthes has found thirty little ones in the 

 nest. 



The Spiders proper (aranea) are almost all of them 

 domestic. In the corners of neglected apartments, gaiTets, 

 stables, &c., they spin large horizontal webs, which exactly 



