354 NEW ARANEID^ OF NEW SOUTH WALES, 



ornamented about midwa}^ between branchial opercula and 

 spinnerets with a yellowish transverse, slightly curved band, the 

 lateral extremities of which are somewhat abruptly directed 

 towards posterior extremity. Epigyne a dark brown, glossy, 

 transverse oval eminence, concave within. 



Hab. — -Sydney. 



The spiders of the genus Nephiia are undoubtedly one of the 

 most interesting groups of Australian orb-weavers, l^oth as regards 

 their size, beauty and webs. Representatives of the genus abound 

 in tropical and sub-tropical regions, often occurring in communi- 

 ties, and constructing their webs closely together, occasionally 

 within reach, but not infrequently from 10 to 20 feet from the 

 ground, and always in a position exposed to the rays of the sun. 

 The snares are bright yellow, and so remarkably viscid as to 

 follow the point of a needle; they vary in diameter from three 

 feet upwards, while the supporting lines or guys sometimes 

 measure from 10 to 12 feet."^ 



So strong are these snares that small birds are occasionally 

 entrapped by them. The writer on one occasion saw a young 

 bird that had been newly caught in the web of a Nepldla in the 

 vicinity of Sydney. It was in vain the unhappy bird struggled 

 to free itself from the toils; the more it fought, the more hopeless 

 became its position, while the damage inflicted upon the web was 

 considerable. And the spider itself was evidently afraid of the 

 victim. It had taken its position in the usual spot — the centre — 

 its huge legs spread out, covering a space of four or five inches. 

 Occasional!}^ it ran from the centre towards the struggling bird, 

 but speedily retraced its steps. All this time the spider was 

 throwing threads around the body of the victim, and rapidh' 

 enveloping its head and wings. As a result the struggles became 

 less desperate, until at length they ceased, death resulting ap- 

 parently from exhaustion. Bushmen have assured the writer 



* According to Graffe, a large species of Epe'ira occurs in the Fiji 

 Islands, which constructs a strong web often 30 feet or more in diameter. 

 Verh. Zool. Bot. Ges. in Wien, xvi. p. 500. [Doubtless one of the Nephila\ 

 — W.J.R.] 



