THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



oiU JjBffo — <gMt ai rloiffr? ^ ^loiaiH lB*ruli> l>T a\ glix-yoTq g^Ib 

 s«»% odJ ds-h ) ■ . ■ === n hm^i r/\o 



bLoiy H FEBRUARY, 183.fe' I? 

 9W toonoil — ; boJj ■ a jo oili qi a 



off! ffrLsiO oi old/; dtr xi/iii'i6oa£ 



Art. I. JVote* % M. Turpin, <m a species of Acarus, presented to 

 the Academy at the Sitting of the 30th of October, by Mr. Rober- 

 ton,( x ) to whom it had been forwarded by Mr. Cross.* 



In bringing forward the present communication, the dignity 

 of the Academy renders it necessary for us to state, that these 

 notes are not to be regarded in the light of a regular Report, 

 since the subject is one very far beneath the important and 

 definite labours in which it is usually occupied ; indeed, had 

 it not been for the too great publicity given to a little animal 

 which is not worth the trouble it has occasioned, and for its 

 having been sent by the President for our examination, we 

 should have allowed it to sink into oblivion, together with 

 the ideas promulgated concerning its mysterious origin. 



Upon reflection we also thought it would be as well, if on- 

 ly for our own satisfaction, to bestow some study upon the 

 animal, as we entertained a hope of being able to recognize 

 its identity with some species already described, and of refer- 

 ring it to its proper source. We thought, too, that by fur- 

 nishing a description and figure of it, we might be rendering 

 some service to the science of Entomology. Having effected 

 this, and completed our investigation of the subject, we have 

 been led on to declare our personal opinion as to the preten- 

 ded origin of this microscopic spider. 



A solitary specimen of the Acarus of Mr. Cross, preserved 

 in spirits of wine, and enclosed in a small phial, presented, 

 on examination, the following characters^.^ 



(*) Immediately upon reading of this note, we received a letter from Mr. 

 Roberton, stating- that the Acarus presented by him to the Academy, had 

 not come directly from Mr. Cross, but through Dr. Buckland, to whom Mr. 

 Cross had presented numerous specimens, offering, as we suppose, a larger 

 proportion of females than males, as is usual with the other species of this 

 genus, and which explains the circumstance of the individual presented to 

 the Academy being a female, ready to deposit the egg which it contains. 



* From the Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Seances de l'Academie 

 des Sciences. (Nov. 13th, 1837). 



Vol. II. — No. 14. n. s. f 



