The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1886-06-25
HE KING OF SPIDERS.
hbits of the Tarantula as Noted
by a Naturalist.
SilkeD Home Underground-Ferocit of
the Insect Tigers as Displayed in
Their Pursuit of Prey - Its
Enemy, the Hawk.

II
Their Pursuit of Prey - Its
Enemy, the Hawk.
In wandering along the foothills of
e Sierras after rain, on what is
led adobe ground, the sharp-eyed OBJ
Fver will sometimes notice a sudden
Iovement of the earth. A seeming
f OF bit of the soil about as large as
silver dollar will drop, quiver or
lake. Some little prescience on the
brit of the walker will enable him to
scover the cause of this, and close
kd careful examination will disclose
oval spot, perhaps an inch and
If across, that seems separated from
e surface. Now insert the point of
bur knife into one side and lift. Sure
there is something holding back.
low you gain quarter of an inch and
tam glimpse into the black cavern
uncovered of ii hairy, uncanny look
fg object, the tenant you are trying to
let Another lift and something gives,
hd you have opened the door of one of
Re most cunningly devised and mar
lous structures in the entire animal
lngdom-the trap door of the king of
Re spiders, one of the commonest but
frhaps least known insects of South
In California; huge, hairy fellow,
bmetimes three inches across, a men,
Re to timid walkers and not particu-
krly appreciated by the professional
bturalist who is supposed to be en- rap
brt with bugs and things.
The first one | ever met, blood rela-
lon OF the above-the Mygale aUicularia
Il South America-was one stormy
fght in the Gulf Stream, about two
nW9}Easaa 1W}aa fRp9ig1 R9ilgf1S ean anG about nilanIgnJ a
B,sh overhead brought us on deck
Ehere we found that the schooner was
tino, TO. and near at hand was a dis
Eanfled hulk. The latter had been
rinped in a hurricane, hailed from
tIinidad. South America, and was
loaded with the choicest preserved fruits
kCbe only living creature aboard was on,
H these gigantic spiders, that, when
Rescued it from the bilge the next morn
knr, settled down into large saucer
Its claws or legs reaching to the edge o
Either side-a most hideous and repul
Isiye object, the large hairy body II
Isemblino that of plethoric mouse.
The monster lives IN South Amerlc;
lin holes, and is o close ally OF the Cal
Ifornia species. 1t preys upon quite lars
Ianimals, birds the size OF sparrow Ia
limo victims to its web and mandlble
ana aItooether it IS the most ferocio
and dreaded member of the insect trlf
Tbe Southern California cousinis equ'
ly disagrecable, and as we pull
STRUGGLING and ugly from its den,
tvpe Of the spider, with its divided boz
the abdomen attached by a sleh'
pedicle, is before us. II we penetr,
into its interior organization we 81
find that it breathes like the scorpl
bv lungs as well as air holes or tracht
The infant spider has at !
four pairs of feet, like the grim ae
that seems all legs, fierce vertical m
dibles ending in hollow points, that
tend into tubes, through which POI
passes from poison reservoirs IN
head. They vary as to their lungs
spinnerets; the large trap door sp
has four lung sacks, but the fumpe
sninncrets is restricted to two p
Such are some of the general feature
the great spider, robbed OF techi
garnishing. ca,;fo,,
as the large trap door spider is calle
| thc the construction of its nest, is
ingly instigated by wisdom. The
tion of locality is in adobe ground,
i as hard as a stone in dry weather
the methods of building their traps
| not but excite the admiration OF tn
/ server. Their operations can DC
| watched at night, but sometimes d
| thc dav. When the site is chosel
| worker begins to loosen the earth "
| mandibles, carrying it away. i
ground is hard, the work is slow,
moving in circle a cavern OF v
large as a large thimble Will o
| duced IN an hour. and IN DAY
thrce or four inches deep and an
diameter will be dug. This
nlisbed. the silk department. OF
/ Sect is brought into play, an
s,;nnerets are attached
| cdiy to the sides of the wall until
/ ter;or surface is covered with
/ paper of the finest silk, perfectly
/ tight. Generally the door Is
/ next. but sometimes before. In
/ inc it the threads are passed
the opening until platform
structed Of more or less sus
power. Upon this the spider ne
of adobe, dirt or other material
ing and binding it together W
until it has a thickness OF an el
an inch. The silken threads are
i /. by a rotary motion of the spider
i Finally the upper portion is 8
/ with powdered adobe, SO that I'll
4 is the exact color of the surr
/ ground, and as it has been ma'
/ the orifce or opening OF the "
/ fectly. it is water tight. The
/ been perhaps attached to the
| several points. These are al III
/ but one, which is now a perfe
/ elastic and durable, and # we
/ or the point OF the knife Twill li
i that the little worker has provl