188 Mr. J. BlackwalPs Characters of some 



the base where the palpi are inserted, and greatly so at the 

 apex, which is obliquely truncated externally. 



Lip short, broad, prominent at the apex, and semicircular. 



Legs moderately long and robust; the anterior and posterior 

 pairs, which are the longest, equal in length ; the third pair 

 is the shortest. 



The spiders of this genus fabricate small horizontal sheets 

 of web of a slight texture, among coarse herbage, or in cavities 

 beneath stones, on the under side of which they take their sta- 

 tion, in an inverted position, and watch for their prey. 



Neriene marginata. 



Cephalothorax oval and glossy ; the anterior part, on which 

 the eyes are seated, elevated but obtuse ; the posterior part 

 depressed, with an indentation in the medial line. Mandibles 

 strong, armed with teeth on the inner surface, and inclined 

 towards the pectus which is heart-shaped. Maxillae enlarged 

 at their apices, and slightly inclined towards the lip. These 

 parts are of a very dark brownish-black colour. Legs and 

 palpi provided with erect spines; their colour is reddish- 

 brown, with bands of a darker hue. Both of the superior 

 tarsal claws are pectinated, and the inferior one is inflected 

 near its base. A plain claw, slightly curved, terminates each 

 palpus. Abdomen oval, rather convex above, projecting over 

 the base of the cephalothorax ; the upper part is brownish- 

 black bordered by a dentated band of pale brown thickly 

 spotted with white, which passes above the spinners, but whose 

 continuity is interrupted in front by a black streak intersecting 

 it at right angles ; a series of curved, angular lines of a pale- 

 brown colour, minutely spotted with white, extends along the 

 middle; their convexity is towards each other, and their apices 

 are directed forwards. Sides and under part of the abdomen 

 brownish-black, marked with a few white spots, four minute 

 ones, describing a large quadrangle, occurring on the latter. 

 Plates of the spiracles dark red-brown. 



Length, from the anterior part of the cephalothorax to the 

 extremity of the abdomen, /<yths of an inch ; length of the ce- 

 phalothorax T¥ ; breadth g l n ; breadth of the abdomen y 1 ^; 

 length of an anterior leg \ ; length of a leg of the third pair ^. 



The male resembles the female in colour, and in the rela- 

 tive length of its legs, but the absolute length of those organs 

 is greater, an anterior one measuring £th of an inch. The 

 third and fourth joints of the palpi are short, the latter, which 

 is much the stronger, being fringed with long bristles on the 

 outer side of the upper part ; the fifth joint is oval, convex ex- 

 ternally, concave within, comprising the sexual organs ; they 



