270 J. H. T. Walsh— Anew Trap-door Spider from Orissa. [No. 3, 1890.] 



covered tlie cut end with mud. Although I continued to dig for some 

 time in the neighbourhood I did not find any more specimens, and 

 shortly afterwards was obliged to leave Khurda and return to my head- 

 quarters, taking with me the two nests and the captive spider. The 

 situation of these nests is worthy of notice. They were in a cool 

 sheltered spot which, as the tree would be a favourite resort for insects, 

 no doubt formed an excellent hunting-ground for the spiders. The 

 ground in which the tubes were found was sloping and bare. The 

 spider found in the second nest was kept alive until the 8th of February 

 and fed on flies, small beetles etc., but although I watched very carefully 

 I never saw her come out of her nest and failed even to surprise her 

 at night. All these spiders are shy and nocturnal in their habits, and 

 there is no doubt that she did come out, as the bodies of flies placed 

 close to the door of the nest at night were always found to be sucked 

 dry in the morning. On one occasion I lifted the door and propped it 

 half open with the body of a spider ; during the night the body was 

 removed and the lid closed down. Once or twice when I endeavoured 

 to raise the lid of the nest the spider strenuously opposed me by cling- 

 ing to the undersurface ; at other times I was able to raise the lid and 

 then the spider retreated to the bottom of her tube and never made any 

 attempt to escape. When I wanted to remove the spider to put her 

 into spirit I was obliged to stir her up with a straw before she would 

 bolt. She rushed out and ran down on to the floor, but stayed there 

 crouching close down to the matting and was evidently much dazzled 

 by the bright sunlight. 



The larger tube measured 30 mm. by 16 mm. at the opening and 20 

 mm. at the widest part near the lower extremity. The whole inner 

 surface was lined with a tough whitish brown fibrous membrane. The 

 hinge was of the same material and covered about one-third of the 

 edge of the lid. The diameter of the lid on the upper surface was 

 about 20 mm., and this surface was covered with earth of exactly the 

 same colour as the surrounding ground, making discovery almost im- 

 possible except by accident. The under surface of the lid was strongly 

 convex and covered with tough web similar to that lining the tube. 

 The greatest thickness of the lid was in the centre, gradually decreasing 

 towards the margin which was thin and fitted tightly over the aperture 

 of the tube. 



The tube in which the living spider was found was much smaller 

 than the one just described, and as I wished to preserve the specimen 

 intact, I did not make any measurements. There can, I think, be no 

 doubt that both tubes belonged to the same species, and Moo-geride'e 

 distinctly states {Trap-door Spiders, pp. 123, 127, Ed. 1873) that as the 

 spiders increase in size they enlarge their dwellings accordingly. 



