J. n. Emerton — Nexo England Therididm. 31 



head. The maxillte are iiiclined inward toward the lip. The mandi- 

 bles are short, about two-thirds the height of the head, and have a 

 prominent tooth on the inner corner. The male palpi are large and 

 com))licated. The tibia is swelled out almost spherical. The tarsus 

 is round, with a long process on one side extending beyond the palpal 

 organ. The bulb is round, and has beside the thin transparent tube a 

 small stocking-shaped process and a larger blunt one roughened on 

 the convex surface. Fig. 2a. The second joint of the palpus next 

 the maxillfe has a tooth on the outer side about as long as the joint. 

 The femur has also a blunt tooth near the middle on the under side. 



This is a common European house spider, and is pi'obably imported 

 here. I have it from eastern Massachusetts; Albany, N. Y.; and 

 New Haven, Conn. It builds a large web, consisting of a small, 

 loose, flat sheet, from which irregular threads lead in all directions. 

 When disturbed it hangs down by the legs as far as possible, and 

 SAvings its body round in a small circle so rapidly that it cannot be 

 seen distinctly. In the early part of summer the females lay their 

 eggs in a very thin cocoon, through which they are plainly seen, and 

 carry them about in their mandibles until the young hatch. 



Spermophora Heatz. 

 Sphermophora meridionalis Hentz. 



Plate VI, figure 3. 



This resembles a young Pholcus. It is about 1'"'" long, with the 

 front legs 5 •5""". Color white, with pale gray spots on the thorax, 

 and in two or three pairs on the abdomen. The six eyes are in two 

 clusters like the lateral eyes of Pholcus. The cephalothorax is 

 round as in Pholcus, but the abdomen is shorter and round, nearly as 

 in Theridiuni, and covered with long tine hairs. 



All my specimens are females found in closets and under furniture. 

 I have not seen the web. 



Salem and Boston, Mass., and New Haven, Conn. 



Scytod.es. 



Scytodes thoracica (Latr.) Thorell, Synonyms of European Spiders. 

 Scytodes camer-atus Hentz, Boston Journ. Nat. Hist., vol. vi. 



Plate VI, figures 4, \a. 

 Length of female 5™™ to 6"^"'. Abdomen round. Cephalothorax 

 very high behind and sloping forward to the mandibles. Cephalo- 

 thorax light yellow with black markings of irregular shape in pairs. 



