spiders from the Upper Endeavour River. 139 



The epigyne is a distinctly advanced development on the 

 Nephila type, and the metatarsal joint of all legs just equals in 

 length the patella cum tibia. 



The cephalothorax has also progressed (or retrograded), from 

 Nephila towards Argiope and Gea. 



The genus seems to lie between Herennia and Gea in much the 

 same manner as M. Simon jDoints out that Herennia does between 

 Nephila and Argiope. 



We have some nice specimens of L. Koch's Epeira producta 

 and Epe'rn capitalist, showing not only the variations described 

 by him in the former, one of which brings it close up to 

 E. capitaiis, but that the latter which really only diifers in the 

 pattern of the back of the abdomen, is no more than a variety, at 

 most, of the former species. Koch makes the front middle and 

 rear middle eyes of E. producia almost equal in size, while in 

 E. capitaiis the front middle are larger than the rear middle eyes. 



It was this peculiarity that induced me (in spiders of the Horn 

 Expedition) to make a new species of Epeira frosiii, which is 

 very close to E. producta, but has the front middle eyes largest. 

 Including these specimens of Professor Spencer's, which in other 

 respects all agree exactly with E. producta, I have never seen one 

 which has not had the front middle eyes larger than the rear, and 

 I am inclined to think that Koch may have accidentally exagger- 

 ated this point, and that the whole three species are, at most, 

 local varieties of the same. 



The only other difference noted by Koch is that in E. producta, 

 the stylus of the epigyne is dilated in the middle, whereas, in 

 E. capitaiis it is not. I do not find this difference to hold good 

 as, although more often dilated than not, it is indifferently the 

 same in both species; both in length, when fuUgrovvn, and in 

 the remainder of the chitinous placque there is absolutely no 

 difference whatever. The pectinations, falx teeth, and other 

 small points are the same in both species. 



One peculiar feature I notice in the largest of these Epeira 

 capitaiis is a development of one of the bristles which meet the 

 claws from the inner side, at the end of the tarsal joint of the 

 first and second pairs of legs. 



The corresponding bristle on the outer side is very stout and 

 horny at the base, from which it tapers sinuously to the point, 



