140 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



with six pectinations along the middle, but the inner side one is 

 flattened and dilated in the middle almost into the shape of a 

 leaf with numerous small scollop like pectinations all along the 

 outer edge, and a curved claw at the end. 



The second new species belongs to the curious genus Poltys, 

 C. Koch, in M. Simon's group Poltyeje, one of liis many divisions 

 of his sub-family Argiopinje — one of the peculiarities of these 

 spiders is that six of the eyes stand on a little head of its own 

 joined by a neck to the rest of the cephalothorax while two 

 other eyes are set a long way off on the main cephalic part. 



Their most striking feature, however, is the development of 

 warty prominences on the abdomen which has the appearance of 

 just growing by chance in every direction and the more species 

 you examine the less do they seem to be guided by any regular 

 law in their remarkable growth. 



I have not seen sufficient material to know how far the 

 projections are persistent in the same species, but they are 

 not quite regular even in the same individual. Among the 

 Cyrtarachne I have noticed specimens where, though identical 

 in every other respect, normal abdominal prominences of a very 

 decided type were entirely absent, and it would seem as if these 

 wart-like projections were among the latest developments of the 

 species. 



A male Nephila has unfortunately lost both palpi and legs 

 except No. III. on one side — it is most like JV. sulphurosa, 

 L. Koch. 



We experience great difficulty in obtaining evidence connecting 

 the males and females in this geuus, in which the size and 

 appearance of the sexes differs so materially, and much more 

 field work is required in the generally sparsely inhabited districts 

 in which they are most abundant before they can be allotted 

 with certainty. 



I trust that as time goes on we may be favoured with many 

 more specimens from this apparently rich district. 



I append detailed descriptions of the two new species which I 

 have ventured to name Nephileni<ys rainbmvi and Poltys freuchi, 

 after my friends and fellow-workers Mr. W. J. Kainbow of the 

 Australian Museum, Sydney, and Mr. C. French, Government 

 Entomoloirist of Victoria. 



