Article beginning on page 88.
Psyche 5:88, 1888.

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88 PSYCHE. [ July-August 1888.
6. Crest strongly elevated and surnlounted by a horse-shoe shaped ridge; lobe of right clasp greatly expanded, broadest apically.. ........................................ .horatius. c. Crest forming a gibbous prickly protuberance ; lobe of right clasp greatly expanded, broadest basally.. ......... terentius. B. With or without subapical spots. [Terminal hooks of upper organ separate] ; blade of clasps moderately long as compared to the main body. [Costal fold furnished with long pediforrn bristles, curving at base, and apple-seed shaped scales, but with no thread-tipped tapering scales nor twisted ribbons].
a. With subapical spots. Right clasp with a slightly prominent median denticle ; beyond the bend moder- .......................................... ately produced.. martialis.
. Without subapical spots. Right clasp with a somewhat prominent median denticle; beyond the bend much ................................................ produced.. .auso&.
C. No subapical spots. Terminal hooks of upper organ consolidated and stout ; blades of clasps very short when compared with the main body. Costal fold furnished with thread-tipped tapering scales or twisted ribbons, but with no long pediform bristles, or apple-seed like scales, or 2-pronged rod-like scales.
a. Of moderate size. Blade of right clasp stout. Costal fold with twisted ribbon-like scales.. ........................ .brizo. 6. Of small size. Blade of right clasp slender. Costal fold with thread-tipped tapering scales.. ........................ .iceZus, THE USE OF TWO DOORS IN A TRAP-DOOR SPIDER'S NEST. BY GEORGE F. ATKINSON, COLUMBIA, S. C.
Certain of the species of Nemesia, the
tube. Mr. Moggridge supposed the
habits of which Mr. Moggridge studied.
use of the branch and second door was
make two trap-doors to their nests, one
to afford the spider a means of escape
at the surface of ground at the upper end when pursued by an enemy. When
of the main tube, the other a short dis- chased into the main tube, the spider
tance below at the beginning of a branch would go into the branch and close the
Pswhf 5 088-89 (pre.1903). hfp //psyche aitclub org/5/5.W htd



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door ; the enemy following, and finding
the main tube empty, would leave.* In
my studies of the nests and food habits
of Myrmekiaphila foliata,? I found
indications that the main tube was con-
structed to serve as a gallery for the
passage of ants, or other insects, and
that the branch was constructed as a
real trap, in which the spider awaited
the passing of an ant, when it would
open the door and catch the insect.'
The arguments I then advanced, briefly
stated, are: ist, the nests then found
were all made in places where ants had
underg.rouid passages, znd, the main
tube connected with some of the ant's
galleries, 3rd, the trap-door at the surface of the ground had the appearance of
being little used, and 4th, one nest had only one door leading into a short tube. This tube opened into the floor of a
broad hall of the ant's nest leading into several galleries. Near this broad hall
was the opening to the surface of the
ground, made by the ants, and through
w'lii~h th i spi-lsr prob.ibly entered the hall to construct her "branch tube" in
the floor.
In May 1888, at Chapel Hill, N. C.
I found a nest of MyrmekiapJzila fo-
Ziata, under conditions which seem to
give conclusive evidence that the main
tube is intended to entrap unwary in-
sects that they might be "gobbled in7'
as they pass the door of the branch
where the spider remains. The nest
was made in a broad foot path, where
the clay soil was very hard. I discov-
ered it by seeing the open door. The
following day I visited the place with
trowel in hand to dig up the spider. I
found the door still open. The main
tube was about nine inches long, the
branch about- one inch long and was
situated six inches from the surface of
the ground. In this I found the spider.
The door to the branch was a cork
door, while that at the surface of the
ground was a wafer door. It appears
in cases where the nest is not made in
an ant's nest, that the outer door is set open, thus offering an attractive place
for insects that are crawling on the sur- face of the ground in search of food.
They enter the main tube, and as they
pass the branch, the door is suddenly
thrown open, and to their surprise they
are taken captive and made a meal of
by the cunning spider.
MATING OF SAMIA CYNTHIA IN CAPTIVITY.
BY CAROLINE G* SOULE 7 BROOKLINE , MASS
Last winter I received from Nan- side of my pupa-box at the same time. tucket cocoons of Samia cynthia and
I removed them to a cage to see if they
on the 8th of May, 1888, at I 1-30 A. M., would mate in captivity.
a $ and #j emerged and crawled up the
My cage consists of a shallow flower-
'
pot, seven inches in diameter and nearly * Harvesting Ants and Trap-Door spiders. + Entomological Americana, Oct. & Nov.1886. full of sand ; a circle of heavy cop-



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