PEDIPALPI. 65o 



familiaris of Hentz is a common species througliont tlie United 

 States. It is pale gray, hairy, and the abdomen is bhvckish, 

 with a grayish angular baud edged with whitish. Ileutz says 

 that it is almost domesticated in our houses, and dwells in 

 cracks around sashes, between clapboards, etc., and may be 

 seen on the sunny side of the house, and in the hottest places, 

 wandering in search of prey. It moves with agility and ease, 

 but usually with a certain leaping gait. , . . Before leaping 

 this Attus always fixes a thread on the point from which it 

 departs ; by this it is suspended in the air, if it miss its aim, 

 and it is secure against falling far from its hunting grounds. 

 These spiders, and probably all other species, a diiy or two 

 before they change their skin, make a tube of white silk, open 

 at both ends ; there they remain motionless til the moulting 

 time arrives, and even some da3^s after are seen there still, 

 proljably remaining in a secure place, for the purpose of re- 

 gaining strength and activity." 



PEDIPALPI. 



Under the term Pedipalpi we would embrace besides the 

 Pedipal[)s of Latreille, the Solpugids and Phalangids. They 

 all agree in having the maxillary palpi greatl}^ enlarged and 

 usually ending in a forceps, and the abdomen distinctly 

 jointed, with the end, sometimes, as in the scorpions, pro- 

 longed into a tail. In the retention of the tail in some of the 

 forms, the abnormally enlarged maxillte, the jointed cephalo- 

 thorax and abdomen, which in the scorpions reminds us of the 

 Myriopods, we have characters Avhich place the Pedipalps be- 

 low the true spiders. 



SoLPUGiDiE Gervais. In this group, the species of which 

 are large, hairy, spider-like animals, the cephalothorax is 

 clearly jointed, and the abdomen is elongated ; respiration 

 is carried on by tracheae. Solpuga may at once be known by 

 the enormous, though not very long, maxillary palpi. S. 

 araneoides Pallas inhabits Southern Russia. S. (Galeodes) 

 subulata Say inhabits the Southwestern States. 



