collected in the Cape de Verde Islands. 81 



its middle, and whose posterior extremity is bifid, extends from 

 within the anterior angle along the middle ; between the termi- 

 nation of this band and the spinners there are several faint, 

 brown, angular lines, whose vertices are directed forwards, and 

 numerous minute spots of a similar colour occur on the sides, 

 the extremity of the spinners being of a darker brown ; the 

 sexual organs are minute, and have a red-brown hue. 

 Captured in the Island of St. Antonio. 



Genus Hersilia, Savigny. 

 Hersilia versicolor. 



Length of the female (not including the spinners) VV*^'^ ^f 

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

 of the abdomen -L j length of a leg of the second pair -^ ; 

 length of a leg of the third pair ^. 



The cephalothorax is short, broad, slightly compressed and 

 elevated before, rounded in front and on the sides, moderately 

 convex, and has an indentation in the medial line ; it is of a 

 dull brownish-yellow colour, with a brownish-black angular 

 mark in the middle of its posterior half, whose vertex is directed 

 forwards, and some large spots of the same hue on the lateral 

 margins. The falces are conical, somewhat inclined towards the 

 sternum, provided with long hairs, and are of a dark-brown co- 

 lour, the extremity having a red-brown hue. The maxillae are 

 short, powerful, strongly inclined towards the lip, and obliquely 

 truncated at the extremity, which is pointed on the inner side ; 

 the hp is somewhat quadrate, being broader at the base than at 

 the extremity ; the sternum is broad and reniiorm. These parts 

 have a dull yellowish-white hue. The legs are long, provided 

 with hairs, and of a dark-brown hue, with narrow whitish an- 

 nuli ; the second pair is longer than the first, and the third pair 

 is the shortest ; the fourth pair was mutilated, but the femora 

 were entire, and exactly corresponded in length with those of the 

 second pair ; the slender metatarsi and tarsi have each only one 

 joint, the latter being terminated by three claws ; the two supe- 

 rior ones are curved and pectinated, and the inferior one is in- 

 flected near its base. The palpi, which are long and resemble 

 the legs in colour, have a curved, pectinated claw at their extre- 

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

 thorax in two transverse curved rows, having their convexity 

 directed forwards; they are situated high above the frontal 

 margin, the lateral eyes of the anterior row being very much 

 the smallest, and the two intermediate ones of the same row, 

 which are rather wider apart than those of the posterior row, 

 much the largest of the eight. The abdomen is rather broader 



