-334 THE SPIDERS. 



California the nests are made shallow and seldom exceed 

 three inches in length, although the spiders that build them 

 are very large and are also much dreaded owing to their 

 poisonous bite. They leave their nest during the day, but 

 slip back again at the slightest sign of danger. Their most 

 dreaded foe is a large species of wasp, living in California. 

 But little Hymenopterce, which lay their eggs among those 

 of the spider, are also dangerous to it or at least to its 

 young, and it is therefore easy to see how useful and even 

 necessary it is to the spider to have a strong and well- 

 fitting door against these as well as against larger foes. 



Several nests which Moggridge received from Palestine 

 were very short, and had the greatest resemblance to those 

 of the Cteniza Moc/gridgii of Mentone. 



Near Bordeaux Moggridge found a number of non- 

 ramified nests, which had not cork but oblate doors, yet 

 nevertheless had no second door in the interior of the 

 cylinder. The secondary cylinder here, turning away at a 

 sharp angle from the main one, ran almost to the surface of 

 the ground, where they are closed with earth and* web in a 

 way which is easy to penetrate in case of need. This plan 

 appeared to yield the same advantage as the cork nests 

 in their heavy door. Perhaps, as Moggridge suggests, 

 with great probability, the simpler nest forms belong 

 generally more to the colder, the more complex to the hotter 

 climates. 



Moggridge found near Hyeres, in France, a ramified nest 

 with double doors, the second or subterranean door^pf which 

 is constructed in a quite peculiar way, with strong wedge- 

 shaped projections on both sides and with a long flap. It 

 lies tolerably high above, shuts very firmly and, when the 

 outer door is open, is pressed into the main cylinder 

 with great force from above and from the side tunnel. 



Moggridge afterwards discovered in the already described 

 ramified and double-doored nest with one oblate door, a 

 further and remarkable complication which he had at first 

 overlooked. This nest is the work of the Nemesia Manderst- 

 Jernos, and in addition to the upward-tending possesses also 

 a side cylinder or side passage, so that this complication 

 places the nest at the head of all, and proves its architect to 

 be the most distinguished or cleverest among the tunnel- 

 making earth-spiders. The most remarkable thing, how- 



