F. P. SMITH ON SOME BRITISH SPIDERS TAKEN IN 1907. 183 



practice to lie with one's back exposed for a considerable time to 

 the full heat of the sun. On more than one occasion I have nearly 

 fainted from neglecting the precaution of a shade for the head and 

 back. A small leafy branch or a bundle of bracken makes a 

 fairly good shade in an emergency, and it should be remembered 

 that creatures can be detected far more easily in shadow than in 

 direct sunlight. Secondly, should a creature, believed to be a 

 prize, be escaping rapidly into some recess where it is difficult for 

 the moment to attempt to capture it with the fingers, pour the 

 contents of the spirit tube over it. This will disconcert it con- 

 siderably, and will thus give the collector a decided advantage. 

 For this, and many other reasons, a number of tubes of spirit 

 should be carried in preference to one larger bottle. 



Toxeus formicarius is chiefly remarkable as being one of those 

 spiders which are apparently protected by their resemblance to 

 ants. The mature male might be mistaken for Formica rufa 

 (these ants abounding in the same locality), but not by a practised 

 eye. The immature specimens, however, are far more difficult to 

 distinguish from a smaller ant, which occurs commonly amongst 

 the coarse grass. The female is unknown to me, but as a rule in 

 ant-like spiders the male more nearly approximates the species 

 " mimicked." 



We have another rare spider in Britain which is closely allied to 

 Toxeus. It is known as Synageles venator, Luc. From this species 

 Toxeus may be easily recognised by its larger size, and by the 

 falces of the male which, although varying somewhat in different 

 individuals, are always enormously developed, and directed almost 

 horizontal lv forward. 



Family AGELENIDAE. 

 Amaurobius terrestris (Wid.), 1834. 



1834. Aranea terrestris, Wid., Zool. Misc. 



1836. Amaurobius tigrinus, C. L. Koch, Deuts. Ins. 



1837. „ subterraneus, C. L. Koch, Uebers. 

 1889. Coelotes pabulator, Cainb., Proc. Dors. F. Club. 

 1900. „ terrestris, Cainb., List Br. Ir. Spiel. 

 1900. „ pabulator, Camb., List Br. Ir. Spiel. 



This very rare spider has occurred on several occasions in the 

 Hastings district. Mr. W. Euskin Butterfield, the curator of the 



