406 ARACHNIDA—ARANEAE CHAP. 
characteristic Linyphian web is a horizontal sheet of irregular 
strands, anchored to neighbouring twigs or leaves by cross 
threads in all directions, and the spider generally lurks beneath 
the web in an inverted position. Some of the larger species are 
very familiar objects, Linyphia triangularis being one of the 
most abundant English spiders, filling furze and other bushes 
with its extensive spinning work. 
The sub-family may be roughly divided into three groups, of 
which the first is small, consisting of only three exotic genera of 
one species each. Donachochara may be taken as the type genus. 
They are moderate-sized spiders with rather short legs, found im 
France and Holland. 
The second group consists of a number of genera of small 
spiders, sober-coloured, and generally more or less unicolorous in 
brown, yellow, or black, living in herbage. The sexes are much 
alike, the males never exhibiting the excrescences on the caput 
so often met with in the Erigoninae. The genus Z’meticus may 
be considered the type. It includes about forty species, of which 
about half are British. They are mostly dull yellow or brown 
spiders, averaging perhaps the eighth of an inch in length. 
Allied genera which are represented in England are Porhomma 
(twelve species), MZicroneta (twelve species), Sintula (twelve 
species). The American cave-genus Anthrobia comes here. 
The third and last group is that including Linyphia and 
allied genera. They are moderate-sized or small spiders with 
long spiny legs and particularly long tarsi. The abdomen is 
generally decorated. The caput is frequently rather prominent 
and crowned with hairs. 
Of the large number of spiders which have been described 
under the generic name of Zinyphia, Simon! only admits about 
fifty species. Ten are included in the British list. Z. triangu- 
laris has already been mentioned, but there are other common 
species, as L. montana, L. marginata, and L. clathrata. The 
members of most of the associated genera are rather small in size. 
We may briefly mention Lolyphantes, Bathyphantes, Lephthy- 
phantes, and Labulla, all of which include English species.” 
Fam. 23. Epeiridae.—This family includes all the spiders 
1 Hist. Nat. des Ar. i. p. 692. 
’ The Erigoninae, Formicinae, and Linyphiinae, together with the Epeiridae, 
form Simon’s family of Argiopidae. 
