136 Transactions. — Zoology. 



named by the miners " the Water Spider." It is generally found 

 on plants, stones, or pieces of wood at or near the surface of the 

 water ; and on the least alarm it runs quickly down the surface 

 of the object to the bottom of the water, taking with it, entaugled 

 in its pubescence, large globules of air. It is able to both swim 

 and run very rapidly on the surface of the water, but appears to 

 be unable to get below the surface without some solid support 

 for its feet. I have tried in vain to make it dive. When teased 

 it makes for the nearest object, down which it runs to the 

 bottom of the water, where it remains till all danger seems to 

 have disappeared. Seen there in bright sunshine, its body 

 gemmed with beautiful globules of air, it is a most handsome 

 object. While incubating, the female retires some little distance 

 from the water, and takes up her abode under a large stone or 

 a piece of wood. Here she seems to remain till the young are 

 hatched. During incubation she shows considerable aversion to 

 water. The cocoon is globular, and is carried under the sternum, 

 to which it is so firmly held by the palpi and strands of web 

 from the spinners that the owner can be dispossessed of it only 

 with great difficulty. When deprived of it she shows great 

 concern, but is quite unable to distinguish it from that of another 

 spider. She then runs about in the most excited manner, and 

 seizes as many cocoons as she can " lay legs on." 



Genus Lycosa, Latr. 

 Lycosa uliginosa, sp. nov. 



Female. — Length, 11 mm. ; length of cephalothorax, 5 mm. ; 

 Legs, 4, 1, 2, 3 (1 and 2 almost equal) = (about) 17, 13, 12 mm. 

 Cephalothorax of a dusky-brown ground-colour, somewhat 

 darker at the lateral margins than elsewhere, palest along the 

 middle of the back ; thoracic indentations marked by dark lines 

 resembling veins : falces and sternum dark brown ; labium and 

 maxilbe brown ; legs and palpi palish-brown with dusky-brown 

 flecks and annulations ; abdomen above and below of the same 

 general hue as the cephalothorax. Cephalothorax and abdomen 

 both without any distinct pattern, and covered (the latter much 

 more densely than the former) with a fine greyish-yellow and 

 brownish pubescence. 



Cephalothorax more than 1 mm. longer than broad at the 

 broadest part, rounded at the sides, much constricted at the 

 caput, the sides of which are nearly vertical, lateral slope 

 moderately and posterior slope very steep ; seen in profile the 

 back is almost level. The junction of the pars cephalica with 

 the pars thoracica is marked by dark vein-like bands, one on 

 each side, which converge at the anterior extremity of the 

 thoracic fovea, the latter narrow, shallow, and brown, and 

 extending just beyond the upper margin of the posterior 



