﻿336 
  Mr. 
  R. 
  I. 
  Pocock 
  on 
  some 
  

  

  Buthus 
  hottentotta 
  (Fabr.). 
  (PL 
  XV. 
  fig. 
  1 
  b.) 
  

  

  cJ 
  ? 
  . 
  — 
  Alike 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  hand. 
  

  

  Movable 
  finger 
  with 
  a 
  feeble 
  lobe 
  which 
  fits 
  into 
  a 
  corre- 
  

   spondingly 
  feeble 
  excavation 
  in 
  the 
  immovable 
  finger. 
  

  

  Hand 
  about 
  as 
  wide 
  as 
  the 
  forearm. 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  " 
  hand- 
  back 
  " 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  but 
  less 
  than 
  

   two 
  thirds 
  of 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  movable 
  finger. 
  

  

  Width 
  of 
  hand 
  considerably 
  less 
  than 
  one 
  half 
  the 
  length 
  

   of 
  the 
  movable 
  finger. 
  

  

  Of 
  this 
  species 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  possesses 
  one 
  speci- 
  

   men 
  from 
  Gambia, 
  two 
  from 
  Shongo, 
  two 
  from 
  the 
  Niger, 
  

   and 
  also 
  four 
  adults 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  in 
  various 
  stages 
  

   of 
  growth 
  from 
  West 
  Africa. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  noticed 
  from 
  the 
  foregoing 
  paragraphs 
  that 
  the 
  

   last-named 
  species 
  occurs 
  in 
  Africa, 
  while 
  the 
  other 
  is 
  

   Oriental, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  African 
  species, 
  alike 
  in 
  its 
  sexes, 
  is 
  

   intermediate 
  between 
  the 
  male 
  and 
  the 
  female 
  of 
  the 
  Oriental 
  

   species. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  very 
  probable 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  B. 
  hottentotta 
  is 
  

   intermediate 
  between 
  the 
  sexes 
  of 
  B. 
  Martensii 
  that 
  these 
  

   two 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  hitherto 
  confounded 
  in 
  museums 
  under 
  

   the 
  name 
  " 
  hottentotta." 
  

  

  This 
  belief 
  is 
  based 
  in 
  part 
  upon 
  the 
  circumstance 
  that 
  the 
  

   Marquis 
  G. 
  Doria 
  has 
  lately 
  kindly 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  British 
  

   Museum 
  two 
  specimens 
  of 
  a 
  Buthus 
  from 
  Bengal 
  which 
  had 
  

   been 
  identified 
  in 
  the 
  Genoa 
  Museum 
  as 
  B. 
  hottentotta, 
  Fabr. 
  

   In 
  reality 
  these 
  specimens 
  are 
  males 
  of 
  B. 
  Martensii. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  interesting 
  to 
  discover 
  to 
  what 
  extent, 
  if 
  at 
  all, 
  

   specimens 
  from 
  intermediate 
  localities 
  serve 
  to 
  fill 
  up 
  the 
  

   structural 
  interval 
  which 
  separates 
  the 
  African 
  and 
  Asiatic 
  

   forms, 
  and 
  to 
  learn 
  thereby 
  how 
  valid 
  is 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  

   the 
  two 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  ranked 
  as 
  distinct 
  species. 
  

  

  On 
  Buthus 
  confucius, 
  Simon. 
  (PI. 
  XV. 
  fig. 
  2 
  a.) 
  

   Buthus 
  confucius, 
  Simon, 
  Ann. 
  Soc. 
  Ent. 
  Fr. 
  (5) 
  x. 
  p. 
  124. 
  

  

  The 
  validity 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  in 
  question 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  Karsch 
  (fieri, 
  ent. 
  Zeitschr. 
  xxv. 
  p. 
  219) 
  while 
  reporting 
  

   upon 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  Arachnida 
  from 
  China. 
  In 
  this 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  was 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Buthus 
  from 
  Pekin 
  w 
  T 
  hich 
  was 
  referred 
  

   to 
  U 
  B. 
  Martensii 
  (Karsch) 
  ( 
  = 
  syn. 
  Buthus 
  confucius, 
  E. 
  

   Simon?)." 
  

  

  There 
  are, 
  however, 
  several 
  reasons 
  which 
  lead 
  me 
  to 
  think 
  

   that 
  Dr. 
  Karsch 
  has 
  fallen 
  into 
  error 
  in 
  this 
  instance. 
  In 
  

  

  