TARANTULAS. 



(Aug. 2, 1890.) 



IN June last we remarked parenthetically, in our 

 notice of the praying mantis, that a tarantula had 

 been received by the Society, and was then in the 

 Insect House. This animal, however, was very 

 short-lived, dying within a few days of its arrival. 

 We are, therefore, glad to say that the loss has 

 been much more than repaired by the arrival in 

 Regent's Park of not less than five of these 

 gigantic spiders, which, though all known as 

 tarantulas, belong to two different families, 

 Mygalidse and Lycosidas. There is a solitary 

 specimen of the former, and four specimens of 

 the latter. They are respectively labelled as 

 "Brazilian Tarantula, My gale sp. ?, Brazil," and 

 <f Deserta Tarantula, Lycosa nigra, Deserta 

 Grande, Madiera." The first of these was pur- 

 chased by and the others presented to the 

 Society, the last, at least, being, we believe, 

 " new to the collection." 



The Mygalidae have a considerable range ; but 

 the larger of them, which are truly gigantic 

 spiders, are found only in warmer parts of the 

 world tropical America and the West Indies 



