THE SPIDERS OF THE SUB-FAMILY ERIGONINAE. 



By Frank P. Smith. 

 {Read October lQth, 1903.) 



Plate 1. 



A retrospective glance at the published work of the Quekett 

 Club will be sufficient to convince one that, whereas certain 

 classes of animals and plants have received no small amount 

 of attention, several groups of equally interesting organisms 

 have been for some reason or other almost completely neglected. 



Notwithstanding the fact that many members of this Club 

 are at present engaged upon special research work in other 

 directions, I think it may be useful to bring forward a few 

 notes upon one of these neglected groups, namely the Araneae 

 or Spiders. It is quite possible that one or two members may 

 be in quest of a subject upon which to bestow a portion of 

 their leisure, and even if this be not so I think I may claim 

 as an extenuation that there are at least many spider-slides 

 in the possession of the Club and in private collections which 

 might be rendered more interesting by a few remarks upon 

 the structure and habits of the creatures from which they 

 were prepared. 



Before further discussing the study of Araneae I ought, 

 perhaps, to justify the position I am taking up that this 

 branch of science is one which actually falls within the 

 province of a society devoted to microscopical investigation. 

 It is obviously a matter of great difficulty to draw a hard 

 and fast line between what might be termed a microscopical 

 and a non-microscopical study, for in every branch of research 

 work the microscope not only plays a most momentous part, 

 but must be regarded as a sine qua non by the serious 

 investigator. It appears, however, only reasonable to suggest 



