432 Mr. J. Blackwall on Spiders 



spinners brownisli-yellow, the base of the superior pair being 

 dark brown. 



As the distribution of the colours of this small and imma- 

 ture specimen differs from that of all other species of the f^enus 

 Philodrorims of which I have any knowledge, I am induced to 

 describe it as ncAv to natural science. 



Family DEASSiDiK. 

 Genus Drassus, Walck. 

 Drassus Hunterm^ n. sp. 



Length of the female (not including the spinners) -^ of 

 an inch ; length of the cephalothorax ^, breadth -^ ; breadth 

 of the abdomen -^ ; length of a posterior leg f ; length of a 

 leg of the third pair -pV- 



The eyes are disposed on the anterior part of the cephalo- 

 thorax in two transverse, parallel, slightly curved rows, whose 

 convexity is directed upwards ; the intermediate eyes of the 

 anterior row, which is the shorter, are the largest and darkest- 

 coloured of the eight, and the intermediate ones of the poste- 

 rior row are the smallest. The cephalothorax is long, slightly 

 compressed before, rounded in front and on the sides, convex, 

 glossy, with a small indentation in the median line of the 

 posterior region ; it is s])aringly clothed with silky, ad])ressed, 

 whitish hairs, interspersed with long, prominent, black ones, 

 which are most abundant in the region of the eyes ; its colour 

 is black tinged with red, particularly in the median line. The 

 falces are long, conical, vertical, prominent at the base, which 

 is supplied with long black hairs, and are of a brownish-black 

 hue tinged with red at the extremity. The maxilla^ are cmwed 

 towards the lip, enlarged and rounded at the extremity, with 

 a large, oblique, transverse depression near the middle, and 

 are of a red-brown hue. The li]) is oval and rounded at the 

 apex ; the sternum is oval and sparingly supplied with whitish 

 hairs. These parts are of a broAvnish-black hue, the extremity 

 of the lip being tinged with red. The legs are long and pro- 

 vided Avitli hairs ; the third and fourth pairs have a few spnies 

 on the tibia^ and metatarsi ; and the metatarsi and tarsi of all 

 are su})plied to a greater or less extent with hair-like papilUe 

 on their inferior surface ; the coxa>, genual joints, tibia^, meta- 

 tarsi, and tarsi have a reddish-yellow hue ; the coxte of the 

 anterior legs are much the darkest, being strongly tinged with 

 brown ; and the colour o4' the femora is brownish-black ; the 

 fourth pair is tlie longest, then the first, and the third ])air is 

 the shortest ; each tarsus is terminated by two small, curved, 

 ])cctiuatc(l chiws. The palpi are long, and have a reddish- 



