up the stem to the summit, where the new yellow petals were just peeping out at the top. She stopped there, placing her yellowish abdomen as near as possible to the slightly exposed portions of the flower bud which bore the same color. At the top of the plant there were six buds in various processes of development, but the spider directly selected the very one which showed promise of opening when evening dawned. All day she sat patiently waiting, as if conscious that the new flower would, when spreading its petals, attract food within reach. When the petals finally unfolded she walked from the underneath surface to the upper part of the flower near the stamens, at the centre, and stealthily arranged her body into a living trap. She is shown in our second drawing crouched in the flower at the right-hand side.

After this period of long waiting the reward finally came. First, a light spotted flower beetle flew near and made an aerial descent on the flower. But evidently it was not fitting food, for I was surprised to see it ignored. A moment later, however, she fully awakened when a fly came to the flower and she immediately seized it, using her long legs in the operation of clasping it. After bringing the fly to her mandibles she let go and continued her meal by holding it with her mouth parts, at the same time again spreading her legs wide apart.

Another observation, which directs our attention to the instincts of this spider, was made one late afternoon. I saw another spider of this species on the blosssoms of one of the primrose plants. The following early morning she had changed over to another flower on the same plant, having been driven out by the collapsing petals, as previously described. The following evening the spider was in the newly opened flower, but on the third morning she had left, leaving a dead bee as the remnant of her repast.

But why did she leave? What unerring instinct was exercised in telling her that the succession of flowers was at an end? For it afterwards developed that the flowers had ceased blossoming. In a certain light, I caught sight of a number of her spun threads connecting the tops of the different flowers. Here lay tell-tale evidence, for the spider had the habit of spinning out and leaving a web behind her. These

threads marked perfectly the course of her movements in my absence.

A little study of the various strands revealed the fact that she had examined critically the tops of the buds and had discovered in some way the failing nutrition of the flowers. She had shown evidence of deliberation and had gone to and fro in her travels over the bud tops, as was indicated by the various threads.

From

I have witnessed this spider change color occasionally from white to yellow, during one of its moults. Packard' has intimated that this change of color is for the purpose of more perfectly adapting the spider to the flowers of the goldenrod, and other yellow flowers that appear later in the season. what I have seen in nature, there is evidence that this spider has the power of changing color when visiting different flowers. In the chapter on "The Assassins in Lace," I have described the behavior of this species in her white attire. Her habits on this plant are somewhat different from those while she is on the evening primrose.

THE CASTLE-BUILDING SPIDER

NE autumn I explored a number
of uncultivated city lots where
weeds in profusion had unbounded
sway. 2
Patches of high grass,

shepherd's purse, peppergrass, sedges, and ragweeds made the

1 Journal of the New York Entomological Society.

2 Observations taken in Chicago.

open waste a paradise for running Lycosid spiders. In one particular, these areas were uninviting spots, owing to the preponderance of cenchrus burrs. Yet, from the naturalist's point of view, they proved to yield rich material for study. It was here that I made my first intimate acquaintance with the castle-building spider and her various accomplishments. I found, after some observation, that this spider is equally expert whether engaged as a carpenter, weaver, mason, or digger. All of these attributes she brings to bear during the construction of her underground tube and the exquisite castle or turret which often surmounts the opening.

In the fall of the year, building operations are most active, for it is then that young and old individuals alike engage in preparing their burrows, with a view to hibernating through the winter. Whenever possible, this spider either hides her burrow and castle in a recess of overhanging dried grasses, or places it so that the castle blends perfectly with the surroundings. On this account it is often difficult to locate their nests. The first evidence that may attract one's attention is the new, lighter colored sand or dirt which the occupant has thrown out in the form of pellets when she excavates the tube to reach a lower depth. In building her nest, the castle builder does not arrange the material pentagonally, as her near relatives are known to do. Oftentimes her castle is situated beside a half-buried piece of old branch, a site which aids in the deception I have suggested. The little seedlings and mosses growing around it, which spring from the superficial deposit of vegetable mould, give to the surroundings the effect of a small imaginative garden colored with sienna and green.

The nest, or turret proper, projecting above ground, is quite round, forming a hollow ring. It is commonly composed of fragments of peppergrass, bark, and rootlets, woven together with silk, while to one side a dried leaf of ragweed may be æsthetically curved around and attached. Other bits of leaves are incorporated into its margin with good effect. Again, grass leaves may be brought down from a standing plant near by and festooned to the sides, the finishing touch being a daggerpointed burr poised on the margin. What could be more replete in architectural design? Actual measurements of the

larger turrets give a height of five-eighths of an inch, and an inside diameter of little more than half an inch. Looking down into the opening nothing but mysterious darkness appears in the burrow below.

This description does not by any means cover all the castles of this ingenious artisan. Various combinations of material are shown in the drawing illustrations, which were made directly from the nest. By the time several nests are examined, one finds evidence of the most whimsical tastes in the selection of nesting material. An enumeration of these substances was gathered one day, which showed the following assortment: green and dried grass leaves, dried fine sedges, spikes and leaves of the fox-tail grass, pepperweed, fibrous roots, ragweed leaves curved by drying, spikes and burrs of cenchrus, wing of beetle, weatherbeaten white paper, piece of brown string, twigs of various kinds in bits, dark bark, seeds of weeds, sand made into pellets, and small gravel from the soil-for variety, quite a favorable comparison in this feature with some of the birds'

nests.

If the day is warm and the castles are approached cautiously, it is quite possible to find the spider peacefully sunning herself on the top of her home. Or if she descends below into her retreat and a doubt exists as to her presence, she may be discovered by lightly exploring the tube with a long grass stem. Our curiosity may be even carried further by digging a hole down at one side with a table knife, to avoid injuring the castle, then making an undercut below extending to the tube. The excavation may be carried on to the bottom where the spider rests.

She is a fairly fleshy spider and presents a dark brown dress of velvet (see illustration). Usually she is quite reluctant to leave her tube, even after such an exposure, and when the earth is carefully replaced she will soon repair the damaged tube. In the event of taking her up for more minute examination, under the excitement she may make a display by raising her two front pairs of legs high in the air, thus showing the contrasting rich black below on the outer three joints. On removing her to new, favorable quarters, after a time she may attempt to get below the ground by constructing a new home. This affords one an opportunity to study her interesting behavior.