Spiders captured in Canada. 79 



upper side with two long bristles directed forwards ; the radial 

 joint is larger than the cubital, and projects a strong process 

 from its outer side, which is gibbous above near its base, and is 

 amply provided with long hairs ; the digital joint is somewhat 

 oval, with a process at its superior extremity curved outwards ; 

 it is convex and hairy externally, concave within, comprising the 

 palpal organs, which are highly developed, complicated in struc- 

 ture, with a large, erect, bifid process at their upper part having 

 a projection near the extremity and a gibbosity near the base of 

 the larger limb on the inner side ; lower down is a prominent, 

 depressed, yellowish brown process, which is enlarged and rounded 

 at its extremity ; contiguous to this, on the inner side, are the 

 somewhat pointed terminations of three prominent processes, the 

 largest of which curves round the extremity of the palpal organs, 

 whose colour is reddish brown with yellowish brown intermixed. 

 The convex sides of the digital joints are directed towards each 

 other. 



Ep'eira affinis, though very closely related to Epeira apoclisa, 

 may be distinguished from it by its superior size, by differences 

 in external organization, and by the legs of the male considerably 

 exceeding in length those of the female. Lister, it is true, in 

 comparing the sexes of Ep'eira apoclisa, remarks of the male, that 

 "et pedes et tela longiora/^ De Aran. p. 37. Walckenaer also 

 states that " le male a les pattes beaucoup plus longues ;" Nat. 

 Hist, des Insect. Apt. t. 2. p. 63 j but as regards every specimen, 

 whether British or continental, which I have had an opportunity 

 of measuring, the reverse has invariably proved to be the fact. 



Among the more obvious structural differences observable in 

 the organs of reproduction in males of these species are the fol- 

 lowing. The erect, bifid process at the upper part of those or- 

 gans in Ep'eira apoclisa is proportionably longer and slenderer, 

 is without the projection near the extremity of the larger limb on 

 the inner side, and the gibbosity near its base is much smaller 

 and situated lower ; there are, besides, the extremities of two pro- 

 cesses only contiguous to the inner side of the prominent, yel- 

 lowish brown process, the larger of which curves round the lower 

 part of the sexual organs, and terminates in a slender, finely- 

 pointed spine. 



Whether the opinion entertained by Koch, that the Ep'eira de- 

 scribed by him under the specific name of foliata^ differs from 

 Ep'eira apoclisa, and is identical with the American spider at 

 present regarded by Baron Walckenaer as a mere variety of that 

 species t, be well-founded or not, I do not possess the means of 



* Die Avachn. B. 1 1 . p. 1 19. tab. 387. fig. 920, 921 . 

 t Hist. Nat. des Insect. Apt. t. 2. p. 62. 



