ritish JU' 

 fflbs-erbtb anD dTaptttui) in 1896. 



By Rev. 0. PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE, M.A., F.R.S., &c. 



(Head February 17th, 1897, at a Meeting of the Dorset 

 N.H. and A.F. Club.) 



[WITH PLATE.] 



HE year just ended (1896) will be long remembered 

 by Entomologists as a remarkable one. This is 

 chiefly owing to the almost unchecked period of 

 drought from the end of March until the beginning 

 of September! With some exceptions the effect 

 of this was to upset the usual times of appearance, 

 as well as the size of specimens and abundance of 

 many insects ; indeed, of the most ordinary diurnal 

 Lepidoptera the numbers were in my own district few, and some 

 scarcely appeared at all. The general report was disappointment ; 

 and the same may be said also of the spider tribes. Among these 

 we have to record a similar lack both of species and individuals ; 

 still there have been met with some few of both interest and rarity, 

 among the Araneidea or true spiders, and especially one of the Phal- 

 angidea (or Harvestmen) hitherto unrecorded as British, and, in 

 fact, when first received it was undescribed. This Phalangid was 

 sent to me from Scotland through Mr. G. H. Carpenter (of the 



