captured in Rio Janeiro. 37 



posterior extremity, and comprises a pale brown dentated band, 

 tinged witli dull yellow in the medial line ; a series of minute 

 oblong black spots, bordered externally with yellowish-white, 

 extends along each side of the medial band; and the sides, 

 which are marked with numerous longitudinal black streaks, 

 have a yellowish-white band extending along their upper part ; 

 the colour of the under part is brownish-black ; there is a pale 

 yellowish-white band on each side, whose posterior extremity is 

 enlarged, and a spot of the same hue occurs on each side of the 

 dark brown inferior pair of spinners ; the sexual organs, which 

 are well developed, and of a dark red-brown colour, have a strong 

 process connected with their anterior margin, which is directed 

 downwards, slightly curved backwards, and is hollowed at its 

 extremity. 



Epeira scitula. 



Length of the female ^th of an inch 3 length of the cephalo- 

 thorax yL ; breadth -^-^ ; breadth of the abdomen y\j ; length of 

 a posterior leg \ ; length of a leg of the third pair ^. 



The legs are slender, provided with hairs, and have a yellowish- 

 brown hue, with black annuli ; the fourth pair is the longest, then 

 the first, and the third pair is the shortest ; the tarsi are termi- 

 nated by claws of the usual number and structure. The palpi 

 resemble the legs in colour, and have a curved shghtly pectinated 

 claw at their extremity. The cephalothorax is compressed be- 

 fore, rounded in front and on the sides, thinly clothed with short 

 hairs, convex, glossy, and has an indentation in the medial line; 

 the falces are powerful, conical, vertical, convex at the base in 

 front, and armed with teeth on the inner surface. These parts 

 have a brownish-red hue, the falces being soot-coloured at the 

 extremity. The maxillae are short, straight, and enlarged and 

 rounded at the extremity; the lip is semicircular, but somewhat 

 pointed at the apex ; and the sternum is heart-shaped, with small 

 eminences on the sides, opposite to the legs. These parts are of 

 a red-brown colour ; the lip is the brownest, and obscure brown 

 lines converge from the margins of the sternum to its centre. 

 The eyes are seated on black spots on the anterior part of the 

 cephalothorax ; the four intermediate ones are placed on a pro- 

 minence, and form a square, those of the posterior pair being 

 the largest of the eight ; the eyes of each lateral pair are seated 

 obliquely on a small tubercle, and are near to each other, but 

 not in contact. The abdomen is somewhat oviform, terminating 

 in a conical protuberance situated high above the spinners ; it is 

 thinly clothed with hairs, convex above, and projects over the 

 base of the cephalothorax ; it is of a yellowish-olive colour, with 

 a few black spots distributed irregularly; a ycUowish-whitc 



