230 
Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 
had two very distinct entrances that appeared to he made use of. The 
nests with the single entrance were exactly like those of Pelmatorycter 
pretoriae, but those with two entrances had the oblique upper portions, 
converging to the vertical tube from opposite directions, something like 
a letter T with the entrances above the ends of the cross-piece. By far 
the greater number were discovered under rocks, especially in the rainy 
region between and at Lochiel and Forbes Beef. In fact, at Forbes Beef, 
three species of trapdoor spiders, belonging to distinct genera, were very 
frequently found under the same rock, and we concluded that those found 
in unsheltered situations were mostly drowned by the heavy rains, while 
those under the stones and rocks survived. The first rock under which 
they were discovered was one that must have afforded the best of shelter, 
for the soft soil underneath was literally packed with the nests of three 
species ; at the side of this rock, on either side of a small tuft of grass, 
a fine male and a fine female were taken from nests that had the lid 
covered with bits of straw ; these were the only nests discovered which 
were so disguised. The male was greenish coloured and the female reddish, 
but both had the characteristic network of lines over the dorsal part of the 
abdomen. 
Stasimopus suffuscus Hewitt. 
Locality : Beerlaagte, Heidelberg District. 
The nests of this species were exactly like those of Stasimopus robertsi, 
but somewhat larger ; they were situated on hard ground at the back door 
of a farm house, and so cleverly hidden that the occupants of the house 
had never noticed them and were horrified when they saw these spiders 
taken out. 
Stasimopus robertsi Hewitt. 
Localities : All flat places in the neighbourhood of Pretoria. 
Nests of members of this genus are always readily distinguishable 
by the tooth or claw marks on the lid, which form a distmct ring on the 
under surface, and by the comparative thickness of the lids, which fit very 
tightly into the entrance ; they are found on hard, bare ground, as a rule, 
though sometimes also amongst grass or under the shelter of bushes ; we 
have even found them under rocks on hill sides. The tubes descend 
without exception, vertically, to a varying depth, according to the nature 
of the soil in which they are situated, such as 8 inches in soft and only 
4 inches in hard or stony ground. The top of the tube is broadened 
obliquely to accommodate the lid. 
The following are measurements of a nest taken at Bosslyn : — 
Depth of tube 145 mm. 
Width at the top of the tube (inside edge) 25 mm. 
Width at the narrowest part of the tube. 20 mm. 
Width at the bottom of the tube 28 mm. 
Breadth of lid 25 J mm. 
Length of lid (front to back) 25J mm. 
Thickness of lid 6 mm. 
Breadth of hinge 11 mm. 
