24
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
March 1876, and subsequently at Woking, where he found several
large colonies. I have also records of it from Eastbourne,
Oxshott and the New Forest; whether all these are to be referred
to the same species I am unable to say.
I made the acquaintance of Atypus in Epping Forest a few
years ago through the introduction of a friend, and have since
observed it in a number of places in the higher parts of the
Forest.
The favoured localities are gravelly banks covered with
tufts of heather. The spider lives in a silken tube, which in the
case of a mature female may extend three or four inches above
ground, passing down into the earth for as much as eight or
nine inches. The aerial portion of the tube may be found
running either up or down hill. Probably in the first instance
it is carried uphill among the roots and along the ground, but
the supporting threads may be accidentally disturbed and broken
and the tube then lies down the bank. (Plate II, fig. 1.) In
captivity, I find the tubes are always carried up any adjacent
objects whenever possible. In very hard ground the tube is
generally shorter than when in loose earth. The tube is started
by the young spider and becomes enlarged in diameter and
length as the inmate grows. Enock considered that individual
spiders might live as long as ten years.
By carefully removing the earth from around a tube its whole
length may be laid bare. In large tubes there is frequently a
swollen portion near the lower end which may contain eggs or
young. (Plate II, fig. 2.) At the lower extremity there is often
a solid plug consisting of earthy material.
I have never found both sexes in any of the tubes that I have
examined; generally only the female is present, but occasionally
she is accompanied by young. In a tube, however, which I dug
out and gave to Mr. Thompson, on the occasion of our Crypto-
gamic Foray on 15th November, 1919, he found a pair which
were preserved, and are exhibited in the Club's museum. Enock
found several tubes containing both a male and a female Atypus.
I have endeavoured to keep the spiders under observation
in captivity, but they only appear to work at night. Earth is
carried up from below the bottom of the tube and thrown out
through an orifice at the upper end and extensions of the tube
are occasionally made at both extremities. One finds the elytra