438 Mr. Bidwill on a neiv species of Araucaria. 



actually devouring the young of a ZosterojJS that had no 

 doubt lately flown from the nest. My father had witnessed 

 the same circumstance before, so that there is a spider which 

 will feed on the juices of a warm-blooded animal. However, 

 its more common food consists of Gryllid(S and large Lepi- 

 doptera." 



Having shown that I had authority for saying that Mygale 

 makes nets and catches birds in them, I think the prohahUity 

 of the accuracy of the accounts enumerated above of their 

 feeding upon birds was a legitimate deduction from the 

 analogical discovery of one whom we know to be a fully 

 competent observer, and I therefore suggest the comparison 

 of the two extracts, which is all that either party said upon 

 the subject, and which will necessarily reduce my " tissue of 

 mistakes" to two, namely, 1st. The mistake of one name for 

 another, which in Mr. MacLeay's autograph was exceedingly 

 similar ; and 2ndly, my too hastily stating that he retracted his 

 observations upon My gale; whereas it should have been merely 

 that he retracted his disbelief that any spider fed upon the juices 

 of a warm-blooded animal. For this mis-statement I beg to 

 apologize to him, although it is xexy venial, considering the 

 array of authorities quoted above in support of the opinion 

 that Mygale is a red- and warm-blood-thirsty creature, and 

 that it constructs a web. 



I am. Gentlemen, truly yours, 



W. E. Shuckard. 



Robert Street, Chelsea, January 2, 1842. 



LIV. — On a new species of Araucaria /rom New South Wales ; 

 and on Nuytsia floribunda. By H. Bidwill, Esq.* 



Description of a new species o^ Araucaria irova about forty 

 miles N.W. of Moreton Bay, New South Wales. 



A tree from 100 to 200 feet high, often without branches for 

 100 feet. Branches very slender, lax, verticillate ; branchlets 

 very numerous, slender ; leaves sessile, of two different kinds 

 on different parts of the branches ; some f ths of an inch long, 

 somewhat triangular, slightly incurved, very hke those of 

 young specimens of A. imhricata ; the others lanceolate, 2 

 inches long, | an inch wide, recurved ; both somewhat mu- 

 cronate, surrounding the stem as in other species, but not so 

 numerous ; the long ones are probably produced in summer, 

 and the others in winter. Neither cones nor male flowers seen. 

 Scales from top of cone containing abortive seeds 3 inches 



* We liave to thank Mr. Bidwill for the Tnale twig which accompanied 

 his description ; and shall be happy to avail ourselves oi" his offer. — Ed. 



