NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 247 
spiders are unusually abundant here this season.— W. Macminuay; 
Castle Cary, Somerset, August 19, 1880. 
[The “long-legged spiders” of our correspondent, as Gosse 
says, really belong to a younger branch of the spider family, but 
their hereditary characteristics are better preserved in the harvest- 
men than in their nearer relations. The Arachnids are divided 
into three great divisions, which may conveniently be called 
spiders (Araneina), Scorpions (Pedipalpi), and mites (Acarina). 
The family of the Phalangiide includes these “long-legeed cousins 
of the spiders,” and this belongs to the Pedipalpi. Their short, 
but thick, sessile abdomen is distinctly divided into segments, and 
their maxillary palpi are abnormally developed, both showing 
their true pedipalp character. The claws of the scorpions are 
merely a further development of the maxille, and this tendency 
is well shown in our own curious Chelifers, so frequently found 
amongst old papers. Mr. R. H. Meade’s monograph of the 
British species of Phalangiide appeared in the ‘ Annals and 
Magazine of Natural History’ for June, 1855. Mr. Macmillan 
gives another instance of the confusion likely to be caused 
through the use of our popular English names. Trombidium 
Phalangii, Dugés., is that little pest, now so rampant—the bright 
red harvest-bug. This is one of the Acarina named after our 
pedipalps (Phalangium spp.), because the mite, in its six-legged 
larva state, is frequently found attached to, and feeding on, 
them.—E. A. F.] 
ABUNDANCE OF CRANE-FLIES. — We have not, like some of 
your correspondents (Entom. xii., 224), been troubled with wasps, 
but in the West Riding of Yorkshire have had an unusual 
abundance of crane-flies (Lipulide). They have swarmed every- 
where, the moors and grass-lands being equally overrun with them. 
I repeatedly had the larvee brought to me by those who do not 
ordinarily notice such things, and during the last six weeks the 
imagos have forced themselves on every one’s notice. It would 
have been expected that such immense numbers of larve would 
have seriously damaged the grass, corn, and root crops, but 
fortunately these do not appear to have been at all injured ; the 
hay crops were everywhere heavy, and the corn, &c., have not 
looked so well for years.—Gno. 'T. Porrirr; Highroyd House, 
Huddersfield, Sept. 8, 1880. 
ANOMMATUS DUODECIMSTRIATUS, Miill.—I have had the good 
