124 



walking on an even surface. The respective length of the feet 

 depart from the character of Epeira. 



Habitat. The Atlantic States, but rarely seen in the west. 



[?, length 7.1 mm.; cephalothorax 2.6 mm.; legs 7.4, 6.9, 4.3, 8. 

 a, " 4.8 mm.; « 2 mm. ; legs 5, 4.2, 2.6, 4.6. 



PI. 21, fig. 8, palpus of 6. PL 21, fig. 8, d". 



West Roxbury, Mass., May 25, young, in webs, near the ground; Hol- 

 yoke, Mass., July 4, <S , and young V ; New Haven, Conn., July 22, ?, in 

 web. When disturbed she leaped to the ground and hid in a dead leaf. 

 Indianapolis, Indiana. (Ohio, ? ; Mayport, Fla., V. Wm. Holden.) J. n. e.] 



39. Epeira rugosa. 

 PI. 14, fig. 10, 10a, 106. 



Description. Black ; abdomen with ten spines on its edge 

 above, and a large tubercle beneath ; disc above with white 

 spots, or white with many black dots and impressed punctures ; 

 sides rugose ; feet 4. 1. 2. 3. Male very small, rufous ; abdo- 

 men whitish, with a few blackish maculas, long and slender 

 without any spine. 



Observations. This spider, closely related to E. spinea in 

 many respects, makes also a web which is usually inclined, 

 sometimes nearly perpendicular. Like that species, when 

 thrown to the ground it moves with great difficulty, on ac- 

 count of the projection of the abdomen downwards. The de- 

 parture from the characters of Epeira, in the respective length 

 of the legs, shows how wisely nature makes adaptation for each 

 species. Were the fourth pair of legs shorter, the difficulty of 

 motion would be still greater. In this respect particularly, it is 

 related to Epeira mitrata. A male was found attached to a fe- 

 male in July, like a pygmy upon a mountain, or rather under a 

 mountain. He was so small that I thought at first it [22] was a 

 parasite preying upon her ; one of his palpi was deeply sunk in 

 her vulva, and it was with great difficulty I could separate them. 

 Their copulation in this respect is much like that of dogs. 



Habitat. The Southern States. 



[PI. 19, fig. 122, lateral view of spider after impregnation. 



