F. P. SMITH ON SOME BRITISH SPIDERS TAKEN IN 1908. 313 



advisable to postpone the publication of anything in the nature 

 of a " standard work " until the various modern writers are a 

 little more in agreement in this matter. The minor literature 

 of the British spiders is by no means extensive nor difficult to 

 obtain, and a fairly recent list of species by the Rev. O. Pickard- 

 Cambridge (1900) can be obtained for use as a working basis. 

 In a group like the present, however, where identification is often 

 a matter of considerable difficulty, no amount of literature will 

 be of so much assistance to the beginner as a little personal help 

 from an experienced worker; and in a field where monetary gain 

 is out of the question and popular encouragement at a minimum, 

 the tyro may depend on finding genuinely enthusiastic naturalists 

 who will be ever willing to help him through his early difficulties. 

 I will take this opportunity of thanking those gentlemen who 

 have kindly communicated specimens, especially Mr. E. Hayward 

 and his son, Mr. A. E. A. Hayward, of Southampton, Mr. George 

 P. Deeley, of Brierley Hill, Staffs., and Mr. W. Pinkerton, of 

 Watford. 



Family ATYPIDAE. 



Atypus affinis (Eichw.), 1830. 



1830. Atypus affinis^ Eichw., Zool. Spec. 

 1861. ,, sulzeri, Bl., Sj>l<L G. B. I. 

 1879. ,, piceus, Camb., Spid. Dorset. 



Localities for this interesting tunnel-spider, popularly but 

 erroneously known as the " trap-door spider," continue to be 

 discovered in various parts of the South of England. Probably 

 it is not nearly so uncommon as the difficulty of detecting it has 

 led it to be generally supposed. On one side of a road running 

 through the Bexhill High Woods large numbers of the tubes of 

 this spider were noticed. One, on being dug out, was found to 

 be considerably more than a foot in length. This is considerably 

 above the average, being probably due to the nature of the soil, 

 which in this locality contains a very large proportion of sand 

 and is exceedingly friable. This species also occurs on the 

 Addington Hills, near Croydon, chiefly by the side of a somewhat 

 steep path leading down from the base of the broad steps near 

 the refreshment rooms on the southern extremity of the hills. 

 It should be remembered that it is practically useless to search 



