||Myg"a*le (?), n. [L., a field mouse,
Gr. ?.] (Zoöl.) A genus of very large hairy
spiders having four lungs and only four spinnerets. They do not spin
webs, but usually construct tubes in the earth, which are often
furnished with a trapdoor. The South American bird spider (Mygale
avicularia), and the crab spider, or matoutou (M.
cancerides) are among the largest species. Some of the species
are erroneously called tarantulas, as the Texas tarantula
(M. Hentzii).