ROADSIDE LIFE. 



231 



rantulas. TJiese are the giants among spiders, some 

 of them being the largest known ; but some species 

 of this family are not very large. They arc dark-col- 

 ored, hairy spiders, and can be distinguished from 

 the other families mentioned here by the fact that the 

 claw of the mandibles works up and down instead of 

 sidewise. 



The members of this family do not construct true 

 webs, but they dig long tubes in the earth which 

 they line with silk, or line their hiding places in clefts 

 in trees or elsewhere with a layer of silk. They live 

 only in warm countries. 



One of the best known of the tarantulas is Euryp- 

 elma hentzii {Eu-ryp' el-ma hentz'i-i). This species oc- 

 curs in the South and in the Middle West, and is the 

 largest of our spiders (Fig. 199). Several closely 

 allied species are found in California. 



But the members of this family that have at- 

 tracted most admiration on account of their habits 



'-■^i' ':' ' ' 



%.M^ 



Fig. 199. — A tarantula, Eurypelma hentzii. 



are the trap-door spiders. These dig a tube in the 

 ground, .as do many other members of this family; 



