22-i 
AiVNaLs or the Transvaal Museum. 
the lid was more or less D-shaped externally, much larger than and over- 
lapping the tube, the entrance to which was closed by a thin lid, for the 
greater part attached to the upper D-shaped lid. Upon gently lifting the 
external lid the true lid still remains covering the entrance. Thus it is 
easy to conceive of an enemy in trying to get into the nest by lifting the 
external lid, pushing its way between the two and thus by its own pressure 
still holding down the real lower lid. The lower lid is wafer-like and 
attached to the external lid on the hinder part in the middle only, up to 
about the centre, the front half and sides being thus free ; the external 
lid is much thicker, as shown in the measurements. The rim of 
the tube is wider than the lower lid, which fits exactly into it ; below 
the rim the entrance narrows slightly inwards to about the normal width 
not far from the entrance ; thence the tube usually continues straight 
inwards for only about half an inch, then curving downwards more or less 
straight to the bottom. The nests were usually placed on the sides of 
small banks of earth, but sometimes also on level ground, always, however, 
in sheltered situations. When nests were situated in banks the tube, 
curved downwards a short way from the entrance, as described above, 
but those in level places only curved very slightly. A single male was 
taken from a shallow tube alongside of and attached to another separate, 
much deeper tube containing a female ; this male had been dead for a day 
or two, but was still in good condition, only the abdominal part of its body 
being slightly shrivelled. Smaller nests of juvenile specimens sometimes 
had two distinct entrances with lids somewhat similar to some nests of 
Homostola zebrina ; but all the larger nests had only one. Other nests 
were taken at Waterkloof, apparently of the same species, though males 
were not secured. These nests were all situated on the top of small banks, 
most usually well concealed under overhanging tufts of grass or aloes. 
These all penetrated the earth horizontally for about half an inch to an 
inch, the outer part of the tube projecting well away from the bank, and 
in some cases even tending to hang downwards. 
The following measurements are of the types of the male and female 
found at Roodeplaat : — 
Female. 
Depth of tube 98 mm. 
Width at the entrance (inside edge of rim) 13 x 9 mm. 
Normal width of tube 10 mm. from inside 
edge of rim 8 x 9 mm. 
Width at the widest part of the tube near 
the bottom 12 mm. 
Breadth of external lid 15 mm. 
Length of external lid (front to back) .... 10 mm. 
Breadth of inner lid 12f mm. 
Length of inner lid (front to back) 8f mm. 
Thickness of external lid 2J mm. 
Thickness of inner lid f mm. 
Breadth of external hinge 14 mm. 
Width of attachment of inner to external 
lid 12 mm. 
