90 



W. J. Hocking, and Dr. D. J. Reid were balloted for and duly 

 elected members of the Club. 



Mr. F. P. Smith contributed a paper, which was taken as read, 

 on " The British Spiders of the Genus Lycosa" 



Mr. F. P. Smith delivered a lecture on " Vagabond Spiders." 

 After some words of introduction, the lecturer said he would 

 confine his remarks to a few of the commoner British species. 

 The term "vagabond" simply meant "wandering," and although 

 most spiders wander to some extent, it is possible with but little 

 difficulty to separate those which are true wanderers without 

 home at all. It was not claimed that the spiders now included 

 as " vagabonds " formed anything like a strictly natural group ; 

 but the title was a convenient one, and one whose purport could 

 be easily understood and remembered. The three principal 

 groups of Vagabond Spiders in this country — in fact, in the 

 whole world — were represented by the typical families Lycosidae 

 (Wolf -spiders), Thomisidae (Crab-spiders), and Salticidae (Leaping 

 Spiders). All the spiders included in these groups were true 

 wanderers, making no snare of any kind, but capturing their 

 prey and eluding their enemies by various combinations of 

 stealth, speed, power of endurance and cunning. These remarks 

 were intended to apply to female spiders only, as the males of all 

 species were more or less vagabonds when adult, the females 

 compensating for this by being almost invariably rogues, treating 

 their suitors and husbands in the most shameful manner. The 

 Lycosidae and their allies are admirably constructed for running, 

 their legs being long and rather stout, tapering considerably 

 to the extremities. The name " Wolf -spider " is a very apt one, 

 for the majority of the species are of various shades of brown, and 

 are thickly covered with hair. In favourable situations, too, 

 individuals are often so plentiful that they might be supposed 

 to be gregarious ; but, as a matter of fact, there seems to be no 

 advantage gained by this sociability, except, perhaps, that in 

 seasons of scarcity the weaker may serve to appease the appetites 

 of the stronger. In many of the Lycosid species the female 

 carries the egg-sac about with her, attached to the spinners, and 

 the young, when hatched, are borne for some time upon the back 

 of the mother, giving her the appearance of being covered with 

 a thick mass of pale fungoid growth. The egg-sac is composed 

 of two hemispheres fastened together by a band of silk. The 



