INSECTS AND THEIR NEAR RELATIVES . 
2 9 
The spider hides in this nest when not seeking its prey. 
Some species take the precaution to build a branch to their 
nest, and to provide this branch with a door. As this door 
forms a part of one side of the main tube, it is not likely to 
be observed by any creature which may find its way past the 
first door of the nest. 
Several species of Trap-door Spiders occur in the South¬ 
ern and Southwestern States. 
Family DRASSIDS (Dras'si-das). 
The Drassids , or Tube Weavers in part . 
There are certain dark-colored spiders that spin no web, 
but wander about at night in search of prey, and hide under 
leaves and stones during the day-time. Many of them make 
silken tubes, in which they hide in winter or while moulting 
or laying eggs. Hence they have been termed Tube 
Weavers, a name which is also applied to certain other 
spiders. We will therefore call the members of this family 
the Drassids (Dras'sids). 
In this family the body is long, and is usually flattened 
above. It is carried near the ground in walking. The legs 
are rather short and stout; the second pair are not longer 
than the fourth, and the feet 
are furnished with only two 
claws (Fig. 28). The eyes are 
in two nearly straight rows, and 
the maxillae are 
concave or fur¬ 
nished with a 
furrow (Fig. 29). 
One of the 
most 
Fig. 28.—Foot of 
a Drassid. 
Fig. 29.—Maxilla 
of a Drassid. 
Fjg. 30 .—Drassus 
saccatus. 
common 
species in the 
East is Drassus saccatus (Dras'sus sac-ca'tus) (Fig. 30). 
It lives under stones, in a large bag of silk, in which the 
