On EUROPEAN SPIDERS. 61 
Zilla reticulata (seymentata) and Zilla acalypha (Miranda acalypha MENGE) 
to the genus Zilla; we, in unison with WESTRING and MENGE, refer the 
first mentioned (as has been already observed) to Meta, whereas the other 
appears to us to be an Æpeira. Z. reticulata in fact agrees in the form of 
the maxilla, the position of the eyes, and in its general appearance almost 
exactly with the species that typify Meta (UM. Menardi (LATR.), M. Meriane 
(Scor.) C. KocH); Z. acalypha again in the relative lengths of the legs, and, 
as far as we can judge from BLACKWALLS and MENGE'S figures of the male, 
also in the structure of the palpi of that sex, closely resembles the species 
of Epeira WESIR.: both differ considerably from Zilla x-notata, atrica and 
montana, which, while by their short maxillæ they approach Epeira and 
Singa, by their weak cephalothorax and depressed, short and rounded ab- 
domen exhibit a close analogy with the genus Steatoda (SUND.), an ana- 
logy, which led Kocm into the error of uniting within his genus Eucharia 
species of Steatoda and Zilla, which belong to quite different families. 
Genus 7. META (C. Koch). 1836. 
Deriv.: Mira, mythol. prop. name. 
Syn.: 1836. Meta C. Kocu, in Herr.-Scherr., Deutschl. Ins., 134, 12, 13; 135, 14— 10. 
1837.  ,  1D., Uebers. d. Arachn.-Syst., 1, p. 6. 
1856. ,, THor., Rec. crit. aran., p. 106. 
1861. „ Westk., Aran. Suec., p. 75. 
1864. Epeira Brackw., Spid. of Gr. Brit., II, p. 323 (ad partem). 
1864. Nyctobia [Nuctobia] sub-gen. Meta Srw., H. N. d. Araignées p. 236, 237. 
1864. i t : sub-gen. Zilla In., ibid. (ad partem). 
1864. Tetragnatha KeyserL., Beschr. neuer etc. Orbitele, p. 21 (64) (ad partem). 
1866. Meta ID., Beitr. z. Kenntn. d. Orbitelæ, p. 2 (800) (ad partem). 
1866. ,, MENGE, Preuss. Spinn, I, p. 86. 
Type: Meta Menardi (LATR.). 
As Zilla (C. KocH) shows analogy with Steatoda (SUND.), so does 
Meta form a transition to Linyphia (LATR.).— This genus, which was formed 
by C. KocH, and by him referred to the family Theridioide, notwithstanding 
that the species cited as its type, JM. fusca C. Koch = JM. Menardi (LATR.), 
as also JM. Meriane C. Koch and JM. muraria ID., are, as is probably ge- 
nerally known, true Epeiroide, is by KocH so ill defined, that also two 
real Theridioide, Meta cellulana C. KocH and JM. tigrina ID. = Linyphia 
socialis SUND., are besides by him included in it. It has accordingly been 
