NOTES ON LIFE-HISTORIES OF AUSTRALIAN ARANEId — RAINBOW. 139 



by the Argiopidte, the latter being studded with numerous beads 

 of a sticky nature. 



Again, the architecture of these spiders differs in another 

 essential feature from that of the Argiopidse. No nest or retreat 

 is made by them, but their nests are always furnished with what 

 Simon terms a stabilimentuin, a closely woven silken plate, which 

 acts as a support. These supports are usually placed diagonally, 

 and occupy a space between an upper and a lower ray ; they are, 

 as Simon expresses it, " dilated to each of the intersections of the 

 circles, and produce a series of small triangles." The cocoon is 

 attached to the rays of mesh, and over this the mother mounts 

 guard until the young have hatched out. In appearance and 

 colour the cocoon closely resembles withered leaves. 



The species occurring around Sydney are of solitary habits. 

 Some exotic species, however, live together in large communities, 

 each individual reposing in the centre of its own snare, but each 

 snare being attached to its neighbour, thus united forming a mesh 

 of huge dimensions. Simon described and tigured such a mesh as 

 the one referred to, together with the architects, U. repiiblicanus, 

 E. Sim., from Brazil.^ 



The same author has also recorded the singular fact that U. 

 servalus, E. Sim., from Venezuela, is parasitic upon the large snares 

 of Cyrtophora. It establishes its small orbicular snare at the 

 centre of the network, which surmounts that of Cyrtophora.^ 



The sub-family Miagrammopinse, like the preceeding, is com- 

 prised of only two genera, namely, Hyptiotes, Walck., and 

 Miagrammopes, Camb., and of these the last-named only occurs in 

 Australia. It has a wide geographical range, which Simon has 

 defined as follows : — " Africa tropica orient et occid. ; Madagascar; 

 India septentr. ; Taprobane ; Indo-China ; Nova-Hollandia ; 

 Antillife et America raeridionalis."'- Two species occur in Aus- 

 tralia, one J/, caudata, Keys., from Peak Downs, and the other 

 M. bradleyi, Camb., from N. Australia. 



Nothing is known of the architecture of the spiders of this 

 genus, although a number of species have been described. It is 

 not at all unlikely, however, as Cambridge suggests, that their 

 snares will be found to be similar to those constructed by 

 Ulobonis}^ 



Family DICTYNID^. 



This family is much more numerous than the Uloboridae, both 

 in point of genera and species. Altogether there are sixteen 

 genera, and of these, three — namely, Amaurohius, C. K., Badumna, 

 Thor., and Lathys, E. Sim. — are represented in Australia. 



8 Simon — Ann. Soc. Ent. France, Ix , 1891, pp. 8 and 12, pis. iii. and iv. 



9 Simon— Hist. Nat. Araignees (2nd edit., i., 1892, p. 213. 



10 Simon— Loc cit., p. 220. 



11 Cambridge— Journ. Linn. Soc, Zool., x., 1870, p. 399. 



