252 THE ZOOLOGIST 
Society’s Gardens, where, as I understand from Mr. Arthur 
Thomson, in whose care they are placed, the whole family are in 
a very active and thriving state. The nest is of considerable 
size, and filled a box of two feet long by nine inches wide and 
five deep. Above this nest I hear that the Spiders have now 
spun lines up to the top of the case in which they have been — 
placed, as though for the ensnaring of flies, &c.; but as their 
work is entirely nocturnal no observations have yet been prac- 
ticable in respect to the most interesting part of a Spider’s © 
economy. They appear to devour cockroaches and crickets, 
tearing them to pieces, and each carrying off his share of the 
prey, like a pack of hounds breaking up a Fox.” As observed by | 
Mons. E. Simon in Colombo—for the species is found both on 
the East Coast of Africa and in India—several hundred in- 
dividuals spin on a bush an immense nest which has the form of 
an irregular sack, of which the interior is divided by partitions — 
and traversed by passages.* The nest, which I have here figured, | 
natural size, is seen to be very much smaller than those thus 
described, while the dead leaves which are incorporated tend to 
render it inconspicuous at a distance. Some of the Pretoria 
nests were larger and much more foliaceous, but unfortunately 4 
this part of my collection was lost in transit, and the nest figured 
is the only one I now possess. Fortunately, however, its identity 
is beyond question, as the Spiders recognized by Mr. Pocock as 
Stegodyphus gregarius were captured after emerging from this 
very nest. I once placed asimilarly-sized nest in a cardboard box — 
about one foot square, and for the time forgot all about it. When 
I did look again, numbers of Spiders had emerged from it and — 
spun all over the box, the contents of which then appeared like 
one huge nest. It is probable in such a case that the box 
prompted the enlargement of the nest, or it may be provided a 
domicile suitable for the construction of the inner arrangements. — 
Hence such a nest might be considered of an artificial or non- — 
natural size, and may possibly explain the dimensions of the one 
sent home from Natal, and described by Mr. Cambridge, as 
previously quoted. I neither affirm nor suggest that such large 
nests are not constructed in the open; I can only assert that I have — 
never seen such, but have met with quantities of the size figured. 
* Hist. Nat. des Araignées, tome 1. p. 261. 
