430 Mr. J. Blackwall on newly discovered species of Araneidea. 



and hairy externally, concave within, and comprises the palpal 

 organs ; these organs are moderately developed, not very com- 

 plex in structure, consisting of a convex part, membranous at 

 its extremity, which has a yellowish- white tint, and abruptly 

 curved at its base, the curved portion extending along the inner 

 side of the digital joint to the extremity of its concavity ; they 

 are of a very dark brown colour. The eyes are disposed on the 

 anterior part of the cephalo-thorax in two transverse rows, each 

 consisting of four eyes ; the two intermediate ones of the anterior 

 row, which is the shorter and slightly curved, with its convexity 

 directed forwards, are the largest of the eight, and the posterior 

 row is straight. The cephalo-thorax is large, compressed before, 

 greatly rounded on the sides, convex, hairy, with a narrow, lon- 

 gitudinal indentation in the medial line, and is of a reddish- 

 brown colour. The falces are powerful, conical, vertical, and 

 armed with teeth on the inner surface : the maxillae are short, 

 straight, convex near the base, and rounded at the extremity ; 

 and the lip is semicircular. These parts have a red-brown hue, 

 that of the extremities of the maxillae and lip being pale yellow- 

 brown. The sternum is heart-shaped, and of a yellow-brown 

 colour. The abdomen is oviform, hairy, and pointed at the 

 spinners, which have a yellow-brown hue; it is of a reddish- 

 brown colour above, a band of a paler hue, bounded by a dark 

 brown line of variable breadth, extending more than half its 

 length ; on each side of this band there are two oblongs pale, 

 dull, yellowish spots ; and between it and the spinners a few 

 short, curved, transverse lines of the same hue occur ; the sides 

 are spotted and streaked with dark brown, and the under part 

 is of a pale, dull yellow colour, with four fine, dark brown lines 

 extending the greater part of its length ; the two intermediate 

 ones are near to each other, and their posterior extremities are 

 in contact. 



The male of this species of Sparassus was included among the 

 spiders collected in Algeria by John Gray, Esq., and the Rev. 

 Hamlet Clark, in the summer of 1856. 



Family DRASsiDiE. 



Genus Drassus, Walck. 



Drassus micans. 



Length of the male Jth of an inch ; length of the cephalo- 

 thorax y^^ ; breadth J^ ; breadth of the abdomen ^^ ; length of 

 a posterior leg ^ ; length of a leg of the third pair ^. 



The eyes are disposed on the anterior part of the cephalo- 

 thorax in two short, transverse, curved, concentric rows, whose 



