Superfamily Argiopoidea 



covered with bits of rotten wood or other debris (Fig. 671). 

 It is evident that the female remains near the egg-sac after it is 

 made; for one often finds dead individuals under bark with the 



egg-sacs. 



Genus CORAS (Co'ras) 



The rows of eyes are not strongly procurved; and the anterior 

 median eyes are much larger than the anterior lateral. The 

 chelicerae are robust and strongly convex at the base; the lower 

 margin of the furrow of the chelicerae is armed with three teeth. 

 The following is our only known species: 

 The medicinal spider, Coras medtcinalis (C. me-dic-i-na'lis). — 

 This is a gray spider measuring about one half inch in length. 

 It is stout and comparatively short-legged (Fig. 672). The cepha- 



lothorax is yellowish brown, 

 darkest in front, marked with 

 radiating gray lines, which form 

 two longitudinal dark bands on 

 the thoracic part; on the head 

 part there are two shorter bands 

 which meet at the median fur- 

 row. The abdomen is gray, 

 marked with many irregular 

 pale spots. 



This species lives in hollow 

 trees, in crevices among rocks 

 and in the angles of buildings. 

 It makes a sheet web with a 

 funnel-form retreat. The web 

 of this spider was formerly be- 

 lieved to be narcotic. Hentz, 

 who first described the species and proposed the name medi- 

 cinalis for it, states that "for some time the use of its web as 

 a narcotic in cases of fever was recommended by many physicians 

 in this country; but now it is probably seldom used." 



Fig. 672. 

 CORAS MEDICINALIS, FEMALE 



Genus TEGENARIA (Teg-e-na'ri-a) 



The anterior row of eyes is slightly procurved or rarely 

 straight; the eyes of this row are either equal in size or the median 



592 



