166 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Labium gi-eeuish-black, apex gi-eemsh-yello\v ; somewhat 

 triangular, rather wider than long. 



Sternum chocolate-brown, median mark lanceolate, yel- 

 lowish ; cordate well-defined eminences opposite coxae. 



Abdomen broad-oviform, flatly convex above, projects well 

 over base of cephalothorax ; dorsal field covered by a large, 

 acutely-sinuate, leaf-shaped figure ; petiole formed by two 

 5S-shaped marks ; ground-colour creamy-white, except basal 

 end almost enth-ely sufiiised with yellowish-olive, spotted 

 with numerous creamy-coloured, lake-margined flecks ; fore- 

 part shows few lake and yellow spots ; border stained with 

 greenish-yellow; three pah-s of blackish impressed spots, 

 centre pair furthest apart, placed in deep indentations ; folium 

 tapers moderately to spinners, somewhat acute-crenate, 

 truncated base intersects and extends beyond centre im- 

 pressed spots, defined by a rather broad, proctu'ved, soft 

 brown-black band, intersected by posterior end of the some- 

 what diamond-shaped figure extending along its anterior 

 margin ; latter mark creamy- white, lake spots, yellowish-olive 

 centre ; border of fohum pale greenish-yellow, crenatures 

 brown-black ; area is of the normal olive-gi'een, and, like 

 dorsal surface, shaded with a deeper hue, prettily marked with 

 pale-yellow, creamy, and lake coloured sinuate lines and 

 spots ; lateral margins yellowish-olive, passing into a lightish- 

 brown on ventral surface, marbled with deep greeuish-black ; 

 shield somewhat oval, includes spinners ;" cinereous, flecked ; 

 above two large centre yellow spots are two lateral, blackish, 

 ovate marks ; border creamy, broken into four dots in hne 

 with spinners. Vulva- yellowish amber-colour; represents an 

 elliptical, centrally-compressed, smooth lobe ; wrinkled, tumid 

 margins somewhat S3-shaped, dark spot in short upper curve ; 

 scapus large, somewhat spoon-shaped, apex rather deep, 

 cm-ves over lobe, projects rather beyond. 



Single example, taken in the forest near Stratford, 

 A. T. U. 



Epeira melania, sp. nov. ■» 



Femlna. — Ceph.-th., long, 43 ; wide, 36 ; facial index, 1-9. 

 Abd., long, oT; vdde, 4-5. Legs, 1, 2, 4, 3 = 18, 16, 14-5, 

 9"5 mm. 



Cephalothorax fulvous ; hah's pale, sparse ; length equals 

 patella -f tibia of a fourth leg ; pars cephahca moderately 

 convex, truncation perceptibly curved, ocula.r elevation sUght ; 

 lateral index about equal to facial ; depth of clypeus equals 

 diameter of a fore-centre eye ; slight lunulate procurved in- 

 dentation behind posterior centre eyes ; pars thoracica mode- 

 rately convex, sides fairly rounded ; transverse indentation on 

 posterior inclination ; caput and radial striae tolerably strong ; 



