NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN ARANEIDiE — RAINBOW. 225 



coalesce and form a compound line. 22 In flight, the animal is 

 carried off back downwards, and its feet control and aid in 

 spreading out the filaments, at the base of which there is, in the 

 case of some species, a small quantity of flocculent silk which 

 forms a kind of hammock or basket. This latter is often con- 

 siderably larger than the spider. "When the spider wishes to 

 descend, it hauls in and rolls up the filaments in a tangled mass. 



The orbs made by young spiders are very similar to those of the 

 adults. They are, of course, much smaller, and have a lesser 

 number of rays and spirals, but where there is any ornamenta- 

 tion, as in the case of Argiope, or where it is customary for a 

 matured spider to make a nest or retreat, we find the young ones, 

 as soon as they start constructing orbicular snares, doing exactly 

 the same. The young of A. wagneri and A. sylvicola each roll a 

 small leaf or piece of paper in exactly the same manner as do the 

 adults. But after each succeeding moult, and as the animal 

 grows, webs and nests become larger until they have attained 

 their maximum. A. herione passes through eight moults or 

 changes of skiu, after which it is adult. 



Amongst the synonyms of this genus Simon, with a query, 

 includes Heurodes, Keys. This genus was erected by Keyserling 

 to receive a species which he named turrita, 23 on account of the 

 curious structure of its abdomen. I think, however, that 

 Keyserling's genus should stand for the reasons stated by him. 

 In a brief note he says : — "This genus is near to Epeira W., but 

 is distinguished therefrom by its spineless legs, the high clypeus, 

 and the great breadth of the cephalic segment in front." 



Two other small genera are included in^this section : — Care- 

 ]>alxis, L.K., and Acroaspis, Karsch. The first of these occurs 

 in " N.-Guinea ; N.-Hollandia ; Amer. centr. et merid.," and the 

 latter is restricted to " Nova-Hollandia." 24 Of about a dozen 

 species assigned to Carepalxis, six occur in Australia. The 

 species described by me as Epeira coronata" 5 belongs to this genus. 

 The web of C. tuberculata, Keys., is small, but of the normal 

 orbicular type. Acroaspis contains only two species, both of 

 which are unknown to me. 



Two genera are included in the group Gasteracanthese, namely 

 G aster acantha, Sund., and Fticyosaccus, Simon. The range of the 



2 2Blackwall— Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., xv., 1845, p. 241. 

 23 Keyserling — Die Arach. Austr., ii., Suppl., 1886, p. 116, pi. ix.,figs.3,3o. 

 24 Simon— Lot: cit., p. 830. 



-•Rainbow— Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, xxii., 1896, p. 629, pi. xlix. v 

 fig. 1. 



