1910. Kkw. — Animals of Sonth-We^fn-n Ireland. 'ji 



McCook and Castlenau ; and it was evident that we had here 

 the famous Triangle Spider {Hyptiotes sp.) with its snap-net 

 which is without doubt one of the most remarkable t3'pes of 

 spider's snare as yet known. It was delightful thus to make 

 the acquaintance of this extraordinary spider and its snare ; 

 and this in surroundings of such exceptional charm — I ought 

 to have mentioned perhaps that Geomalacus was turned out of 

 one of these Arbutus-trunks — and the discovery was note- 

 worthy from the fact that the presence of this spider in Ireland 

 had never been suspected. Hyptiotes, paradoxus occurs in 

 Britain but is there extremel}^ rare ; it was reported in 1S64 

 from Cumberland, but nothing more was heard of it till 1894-5, 

 when it was collected b}^ Mr. Warburton and the Rev. O. 

 Pickard-Cambridge in the New Forest — the snares there being 

 between dead lichen -covered twigs of almost impenetrable 

 bushes of blackthorn and whitethorn — and this appears to be 

 all that is known of the creature in the British Isles. Glen- 

 gariff; however, is now established as a third Britannic localit}' ; 

 for the writer is assured that the animal found here pertains 

 to the species just mentioned, i,e. Hyptiotes paradoxus^ ; and 

 this name, it will have been gathered, must now be added to 

 the already imposing list of Irish Spiders.- Altogether I saw, 

 all on the same hill-side, about fifteen of these spiders ; all with 

 snares, most of which were spun about the trunks and large 

 branches of Arbutus, but others were on holly, and still 

 others on heath and ling. All the snares were alike in shape 

 and construction, alwa3's with four radii ; and the spider, an 

 adult female in each case, was always in the same position 

 under the trap-line and close to its attachment. 



On one of these days at Glengariff I was able to take a walk 

 as far as the count}' -boundary on the old road which ascends 

 the slopes of Esk mountain, where Chthoniics tetfachelatus 

 occurred raiher plentifuly at about goo feet under accumula- 

 tions of fallen rock-fragments. On more than one occasion 

 also it was possible to linger awhile about the Glengariff 

 River, where many beautiful things were seen. Of birds, I 

 will mention the Kingfisher ; and of insects a dragon-fly — I 

 suppose it was Calopteryx z' ir^o— one sex of which, having 

 wings of the richest blue, was a charming object as it fluttered 

 over the vegetation by the water's edge ; a word must be said 



1 The spider has been examined by the Rev. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 

 Dr. Randell Jackson, and ]\Ir. F. P. vSmith. 



» Froc. K.I.A. (3) v., (1898), 128-210; xxvii (1909), 87-iiS. 



