86 Mr. J. Blackwall on recently discovered Spiders 



third and fourth pairs, the third pair being the shortest ; the 

 legs of the first pair were missing, but, judging from the coxae, 

 they probably did not differ materially in dimensions from those 

 of the first pair ; each tarsus is terminated by two curved claws 

 having one or two minute teeth at their base; the palpi are 

 short, and have a small curved claw at their extremity. These 

 parts are of a pale dull-yellow colour ; numerous very minute, 

 slightly raised, dark-brown spots occur on the cephalothorax ; a 

 pale brown band passes from each lateral pair of eyes towards 

 its base, and the tubercles on which those eyes are seated have 

 a soiled white hue. The abdomen is sparingly clothed with 

 short hairs, convex above, broader towards the posterior than at 

 the anterior extremity, which has the appearance of having been 

 cut in a direct line across, and projects over the base of the 

 cephalothorax; it is of a pale dull yellowish colour, obscurely 

 freckled with dull white ; on each side of the upper part there 

 is a curved series of small soot-coloured spots, which are most 

 conspicuous in the posterior region; the two series converge 

 towards their extremities, and describe a large oblong oval ; a 

 soot-coloured band passes along the upper part of each side, 

 nearly to the spinners, its posterior extremity being broken into 

 irregular spots. 



Captured in the Island of St. Antonio. 



Family Deassid^. 



Genus Drassus, Walck. 



Drassus nigromaculatus. 



. Length of the female (not including the spinners) -i^ths of an 

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

 the abdomen ^ ; length of a posterior leg \ ; length of a leg of 

 the third pair ■^. 



The cephalothorax is compressed before, truncated in front, 

 rounded on the sides, which are somewhat depressed, abruptly 

 sloped at the base, and has a slight narrow indentation in the 

 medial line of the posterior region ; it is of a pale reddish-brown 

 colour, is clothed with yellowish-grey hairs, which are densest 

 on the sides, and has some long black ones, more or less erect, 

 distributed over its surface ; three black spots form a row on 

 each side, the anterior one being the largest and most irregular 

 in form ; it has a large triangular brown-black mark at its base, 

 and the narrow lateral margins are of the same hue. The eyes 

 are disposed on the anterior part of the cephalothorax in two 

 transverse, slightly curved rows ; the convexity of the anterior 

 row is directed upwards, and the two intermediate eyes are the 



