Si.’ tiilecnionD) Mhedhte Geel: J ee ee ie tie ee 
NESTING HABITS AND PROTECTIVE ARCHITECTURE. Bit 
brood will occupy the abandoned snare of an adult Orbweaver, and, clear- 
ing out the space between the radii, spin their own minute orbs. I have 
seen a brood of young Epeira patagiata attempt this sort of squatting 
upon the premises of an adult Zilla x-notata, very much to their own dis- 
comfort. For, although the little fellows succeeded in getting positions for 
their minute orbs, the original proprietor, by skillful management, was 
able to dislodge and one after another devour them, until she had eaten 
up nearly all her guests, 
Moreover, among certain species of the Retitelaria, the habit has be- 
come fixed of invading the snares of other species for the purpose of 
destroying the occupants. Argyrodes trigonum, for example, will 
invade the nest of the Labyrinth spider, whose maze forms an 
admirable retreat, and therein will establish herself. Another 
species of Argyrodes, which I have described as A. piratica, was sent to me 
from California, and is said by Mrs. Rosa Smith Eigenmann to be an 
habitual depredator upon the premises of the Orbweavers of San Diego. 
The little creature will fearlessly invade the snare; attack, destroy, and de- 
your her huge opponent. The particulars of this habit I reserve for the 
chapter (Vol. II.) upon the Enemies of Spiders. 
The abandoned nest of Orbweavers is often occupied by Tubeweaving 
spiders. Agalena ncevia especially finds it a pleasant retreat, and makes 
it the centre of her broad, sheeted snare. So also I have found the 
rolled leaf nest of a young Epeiroid occupied by a Saltigrade. I have 
no evidence, however, that any of these spiders deliberately dislodges the 
owner in order thus to take possession. Nor have I ever seen one Orb- 
weaver make a raid upon the premises of a congener for a like purpose. 
Mrs. Treat records! a case which looks very much like nest parasitism. 
An interesting Lycosid, Dolomedes scriptus, appeared to take a special fancy 
for the nest of a female Shamrock spider. For more than two weeks, 
while the Dolomede was carrying her cocoon, her favorite resting place was 
on the top of the Orbweaver’s tent, and often, when the latter left her 
domicile to seek prey upon her orb, as is her custom, Dolomede would 
stealthily slip inside. But she always seemed to know when Trifolium 
was about to return, and would quickly emerge and take her place on the 
outside. The only wonder to me, in this case, is that the Lycosid, which 
is a large and powerful spider, abundantly able to cope with and destroy 
Trifolium, did not at once make a meal of the Orbweaver whose home 
she coveted, and, after the fashion of human creatures, take possession of 
the premises from which she had dislodged the rightful occupant. 
On the whole, I am inclined to think, although the facts are cer- 
tainly inadequate to form a just conclusion of any sort, that cases of 
proper nest parasitism are rare. That is to say, it is not often that one 
Piratical 
Invaders. 
“My Garden Pets,” page 24. 
