This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1876 Excerpt: ...by its size, I kept Bteadily looking at it, when suddenly, as if by magic, it disappeared. I got off my horse so as to carefully examine the ground, which was very dry and dusty. My suspicions that the spider had rolled itself up in the dust, were soon confirmed, by observing that the earth was a little raised or bulged up at one part, so I took my knife to turn it out of its dirt heap. Judge of my surprise and delight, when no sooner had I applied the point of my knife, than up sprang a beautiful trap-door, revealing a large hole going right down into the earth, lined with beautiful white silk that shone in the sun, and lining the inside of the door, forming a clever and remarkably good hinge. I had no doubt now, where the spider had gone, but having no tools I could not dig it out. I examined this strange novelty for some time, lifting up the wonderful door, and admiring the exactness with which it fitted, the perfect mobility of the hinge, the spring with which it immediately shut down on slipping from the knife, and the marvellous adaptation of the outside of the lid to the existing conditions surrounding it. It was literally peppered on the outside with loose soil, exactly the same as that around, so as to defy detection by any one unacquainted with the way of finding such nests. In fact, though I carefully marked several things near by, so as to find it again; when I returned with a spade I could not find it, and never afterwards came upon this particular nest. Since that time I have taken every opportunity of my being in the Oamaru District, to observe and record what I saw of them, and in the months of October and November of last year, being detained there through illness, I had some weeks of leisure to pursue my investigations, the results of whic...
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.