A silent scuttle seen from the corner of the eye – there it is, a spider, bristle-legged on the cream-coloured carpet. It freezes for a moment and then dashes behind the chest of drawers.
It’s a male giant house spider of a subspecies common in the West Country (Eratigena saeva). I can tell it is male by the large, club-like palps in front of the head, and also by the time of year. In late summer and early autumn, males emerge from their webs and roam about looking for females to mate with.
