little known as indigenous to Great Britain. 127 



37. Epeira scalaris. 



Epeira scalaris. Walck. Tabl. des Aran. p. 60. Hahn, Die Arachn. b. ii. p. 27. 

 tab. xlvii. fig. 114. 



This handsome spider is found in the neighbourhood of London. 



38. Epeira umbratica. 



Epeira umbratica. Walck. Tabl. des Aran. p. 61. Hahn, Die Arachn. b. ii. 



p. 24. tab. xlvi. fig. 112. 

 Epeira umbraticola. Latr. Genera Crust, et Insect, t. i. p. 105. Lister, De Aran. 



p. 44. tit. ix. fig. 9. 



Our celebrated countryman, Dr. Lister, has described this species with his 

 accustomed accuracy ; but, as neither Walckenaer nor Latreille appears to 

 have referred to his account of it, I am induced to include it in this catalogue. 



Epeira umbratica is much more abundant in various parts of England and 

 Wales than it is generally supposed to be ; its apparent scarcity being attri- 

 butable to its nocturnal habits and the care with which it conceals itself during 

 the day. 



In June the female constructs, under the exfoliating bark of trees and in 

 crevices in old rails, a subglobular cocoon of white silk, of a slightish texture, 

 measuring about fths of an inch in diameter, in which she deposits between 

 100 and 200 spherical eggs of a yellowish brown colour, agglutinated together. 

 On the exterior surface of this cocoon, small pieces of bark, wood and other 

 extraneous materials are usually distributed, which serve to assimilate it to 

 surrounding objects. • » 1.: .. ; > 



39. Epeira fusca. 



Epeira fusca. Walck. Tabl. des Aran. p. 63. 



Epeira Menardi. Latr. Genera Crust, et Insect, t. i. p. 108. 



Meta fusca. Koch, Die Arachn. b. viii. p. 118. tab. cclxxxv. fig. 685, 686, 687. 



In removing Epeira fusca from the Epeiridce, and placing it among the The- 

 ridiida? (Uebersicht des Arachn. Syst. p. 7), Koch appears to have lost sight of 

 those principles of affinity and analogy which afford the only safe guide in the 

 classification of natural objects. » 



