228 Dr. W. Rae SherrirTs on 



Simon (L p. 445) states that Hersilia does not spin a web. 

 Pocock (p. 240), however, is correct in saying Hersiliids spin 

 at most a scanty web of irregular threads. I have seen 

 H. savignyi, which is always found on tree-trunks, in the 

 centre of a small circular web formed of very few threads 

 with wide meshes. 



H. savignyi is extremely variable in colour, and it usually, 

 but by no means always, resembles very much in colour the 

 tree-trunk on which it is resting. Frequently you do not 

 notice the spider till it moves. It varies from fawn to almost 

 black, and I have seen on the same trunk at the same time 

 both shades, the one practically invisible and the other 

 extraordinarily conspicuous. 



Locality. Madras city, all the year round. Also from 

 Carolina, Nilgiris, at 5600 feet. Not nearly so common on 

 the hills as on the plains. 



Pholcidae. 



The three well-known species described by Pocock (pp. 

 238-240) are common spiders. Artema atlanta, Smeringopus 

 elongatus, and Crossopriza lyoni are all present in South India 

 as ordinary house-spiders. 



Artema (Walck.), 1837. 

 14. Artema atlanta (Walck.) 



has the well-known habit of swinging up and down very 

 rapidly on its web when disturbed, probably to render itself 

 less visible. Simon notes that the number of eggs is never 

 considerable, but, though the usual number seems to be 

 about 50, I have found close on 150. 

 Locality. Madras city. 



Smeringopus (Sim.), 1890. 

 15. Smeringopus elongatus (Vinson). 



The female was found carrying as usual her cocoon in her 

 mandibles. The cocoon contained 76 eggs. The pair were 

 taken from the same web and lived together captives in the 

 same bottle for over a week. I have seen this spider in the 

 position depicted by Simon for Mecolozsthus (fig. 439). 



Locality. Madras city (August) ; Nawalapitiya, Ceylon 

 (April). 



