162 



near the base, with an interrupted whitish hne across. Feet 

 1. 4. 2. 3. ; first pair stout. 

 Hahitat. Alabama. 



[From the Journ. Acad. Nat. Sciences, ii, 53.] 

 A NOTICE CONCERNING THE SpIDER WHOSE WEB IS USED IN 



Medicine. By N. M. Hentz. 



It lias been found lately, that the web of a species of spider, 

 common in the cellars of this country, possesses very narcotic 

 powers, and it has been administered apparently with success in 

 some cases of fevers. 



Having for some time past, studied with care the genus Ara- 

 nea of Linneus, I have been induced to write a description of 

 this species ; I therefore made a drawing taken from a large 

 female, which accompanies the present notice. 



The p-enus Aranea of the first writers on Entomologv being 

 composed of a very great number of species, it has been found 

 necessary to divide it into smaller sections, or families. Gmelin's 

 edition of Linneus contains ninety-eight species ; Walckenaer 

 enumerates nearly three hundred, and the number may be car- 

 ried to a thousand. If the colour of the abdomen were the 

 only character to find the species among several hundreds, it 

 Avould be a very difficult task to assign with certainty a name to 

 each separately, without any other description. Messrs. Lat- 

 reille and Walckenaer have rendered the history of this genus 

 quite easy to study : they have left little undone in regard to 

 the species known to them. It is to be regretted that Mr. 

 Walckenaer's Tableau des Araneides is not a more common 

 work. 



I shall therefore give the generic characters of this sjiider, as 

 if the work were unknown to the naturalists in this country. 



It belongs to the genus Tegeneria of Walckenaer, and to 

 that of spiders, properly so called, of Latreillc. Its characters 



