THE ZOOLOGIST 
No. 688.—October, 1898. 
NOTES own tot SOUTH AFRICAN SOCIAL SPIDERS 
(STHEGODYPHUS). 
By Guy A. K. Marsuatut, F.Z.S. 
In one of his interesting papers on the zoological features of 
the Transvaal (Zool. ante, 157), Mr. W. L. Distant makes refer- 
ence to our curious little Social Spiders (Stegodyphus gregarius, 
Camb.), and perhaps a few further remarks on them may not be 
out of place. Mr. Distant has raised the question as to the size 
of the nests constructed by this species. This is of course largely 
dependent on the age of the colony, the structure being gradually 
enlarged to accommodate the increasing progeny. In the spring 
months I have often found single chambers, about the size of a 
shilling, containing a solitary female, the snare consisting of two 
small, irregular but closely woven screens diverging on either side 
of the chamber. From this simple structure a graduated series 
may be traced up to the fully developed nest. I have seen many 
hundreds of these nests both in Natal and Mashonaland, and, so 
far as my experience goes, I should say that the one reproduced 
in Mr. Distant’s excellent photograph is well below the average 
of a fully developed nest, which I should estimate to be at least 
twice the size, though they are sometimes notably larger. In 
this country there is a larger and paler species of the same 
genus, which I do not remember to have met with in Natal, and 
its nests are often built on a still larger scale, attaining the size 
of a man’s head. 
Zool. 4th ser. vol. II., October, 1898. 2F 
