42 



more than the description of what I believe to be some forms of hair 

 not hitherto noticed. 



The specimen, from which the hairs I am about to describe were 

 taken, is one of the Tarantulidce, and was brought to me for exami- 

 nation by my friend, Mr. G. E. Newth (a member of the medical 

 profession), in whose possession it has been for several years. It 

 was originally found alive amongst some logwood, from what precise 

 locality I am unable to learn ; it is, however, unquestionably a native 

 of the tropical parts of the western hemisphere. 



The animal is entirely covered with short, closely set hairs, so as 

 to appear as if formed of velvet, of a dark brown colour, except the 

 abdominal portion, which is of a dark red tint, and interspersed pretty 

 numerously amongst the short hairs are some longer ones, of a light 

 brown. 



On examining these various hairs with a good quarter-inch object- 

 glass, they are seen to be of a very compound character ; those from 

 the thorax or limbs of the animal, as shown in Plate X. fig. 1, con- 

 sisting of a central shaft, most probably cylindrical, around which are 

 disposed an immense number of small hairlets, generally covering the 

 whole length of the hair, so as to make it resemble in appearance a 

 mouse's tail or a lady's boa. The small hairlets are arranged in lon- 

 gitudinal rows, but whether in their transverse direction the points 

 of attachment are in whorls, or alternate, or spiral, I have not been 

 able to determine. 



The longer hairs appear to be of a precisely similar character to 

 the above, but of larger diameter and with a greater number of hair- 

 lets, and both kinds appear to have either a central cavity, or at any 

 rate a structure admitting of the passage of fluid. I am also disposed 

 to think, that the number of longitudinal rows of hairlets on each of 

 the smaller hairs, is four, but of this point I am not yet quite 

 certain. 



I stated previously, that the dorsal part of the abdomen is of a 

 dark red colour : the hairs from this part are also of a very compound 

 character, which for peculiarity of conformation I have never seen 

 surpassed, even by the scaly hairs of the Indian bat, or the arrow- 

 headed variety from the larva of the Dermestes. They are perhaps 

 more like feathers than hairs, and consist, as shown in Plate X. fig. 2, 

 of a central shaft, formed somewhat like a flattened cylinder, tapering 

 to a point at the base where it is inserted into the cuticle. This 

 basal portion, consisting of about one-sixth part of the total length of 



