72 



TERTIARY INSECTS OE NORTH AMERICA. 



by pairs, none of tlieni reverses of others. Tliey occur on stones num- 

 bered 38 to 41. As the form of tlie egg-cocoons in Araneides is so various, 

 and tho number of specimens found indicates a probability of obtaining at 

 some time the probable constructor of the webs, I have only applied an 

 ancient, broad generic name to these products of the insect, for the sake of 

 indicating the nature of all the fossil remains from Quesnel. It is probable 

 that the spider will be found most nearly allied to Theridium, species of 

 which construct pedunculate egg-cocoons not very difterent from these. 

 The cocoons vary slightly in size, and more in shape, owing no doubt to 

 their vaiying position when crushed; probably they were globular, or pos- 

 sibly slightly oval in shape; averaging about five millimeters in the longer 

 and four millimeters in the shorter diameter; of a firm structure; testaceous 

 in color, and hung by a slender thread, less, or much less than quarter the 

 length of the egg-cocoon (averaging, perhaps, one millimeter in length), to 

 a thickened mass of web, attached to some object or to the insect's web. 



That they have been preserved by pairs upon the stones has no signifi- 

 cance, and, indeed, may be due simply to the way the stones were broken; 

 for they lie at varying distances apart, with no sign of connection, and 

 placed with no definite relations to each other. Two of them show no sign 

 of the pedicel, but this is certainly due to poor preservation; and a single 

 one, the least circular (40a) not only has no pedicel, but appears to be 

 formed of a lighter, flimsier tissue, and may belong to a difterent species. 

 The following are the longer and shorter diameter, and length of pedicel, of 

 each specimen : 



* Base only of pedicel preserved. 



The egg-cocoon of a spider (No. 4201), of exactly the same size, 

 shape, and general appearance as those doseril)ed above, excepting that from 



