180 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
Hypochilus, so as to admit it into the camp of the Cribellata, would be a 
mighty difficult task. 
Blackwall, of England, united three genera, which all were provided 
with a cribellum and calamistrum, into one family, the Ciuiftonidce. Since 
then, as more species were found possessing these organs, but which could 
not be brought into the scope of a. family, the family Cintflonidce became 
abandoned. 
Now, unfortunately, Mr. J. H. Emerton lately revived that obsolete 
family, and described the New England members, in all five genera, under 
the old head. Had he not confined himself to that limited region he would 
have had to add two prominent genera from the United States, Filistata 
and Dinops, and it would have been extremely difficult for him at that time 
to admit into the defined compass of a family these two heterogeneous 
genera. The difficulty is now enhanced by the appearance of Hypochilus, 
and the fallacy in forming a family upon such grounds is obvious. 
In the discussion upon this communication, Prof. Riley said 
he thought the existing classification of spiders might yet be of 
use, although apparently upset by the discovery of connecting 
forms. He also urged upon Dr. Marx the importance of a study 
of the species of TheraphosidaB. Dr. Marx stated that as yet the 
classification of the TheraphosidaB was in such an unsatisfactory 
condition that a determination of species could not well be 
made. Ausserer's table of the genera of the family was not made 
with the fauna of this country in view, and the generic distinctions 
were too finely drawn and not applicable to our fauna. The 
family is divided naturally into three sub-families, Atypinse, 
Eriodoninae, and Theraphosinae, with the great bulk of the family 
in the last. 
Mr. Howard remarked that he had recently read in the Trans- 
actions of the New Zealand Institute for 1869 an account of the 
" katipo," or poisonous spider of New Zealand, which appears 
to be a species of Latrodectus. This is found on the sea beach 
among sedges. It is stated that this spider is not feared by the 
natives at the distance of half the throw of a stone from the beach. 
Mr. Ashmead said that in a peach orchard planted by Col. Red- 
man near Jacksonville, Fla., the trees had been defoliated by a 
spider. Mr. Ashmead stated positively he had seen the spiders 
at work on the leaves. 
Prof. Riley made a communication upon the larvae of Leptinus 
and Leptinillus. Larvae and imagos of the former, .but no pupaB, 
