XII] 



PHALANG1DA 



267 



they breathe entirely by tracheae. They have four long and very 

 slender pairs of legs, which easily break, and their eyes are some- 

 times elevated above the surface of the head on a tubercle like a 

 look-out tower. The abdomen is distinctly divided into segments. 



As a rule these creatures are nocturnal and are usually met with 

 in dark corners or amongst the stalks of hay or grass. Their long 



Fro. 120. A Phalangid or Harvestman, Oligolophus spinosus, adult male x 2. 



1. Chelicerae. 2. Pedipalps. 3, 4, 5 and 6. First, second, third, and 



fourth legs. 



legs enable them to steal with a gliding spring upon their prey, 

 for the most part insects or spiders. They are dull in colour, grey, 

 brown or blackish, as becomes an animal that loves the dusk. About 

 twenty-four species have been recorded in Great Britain. Phalangids 

 die down as winter sets in, but the eggs last through the cold weather 

 and give rise to a new generation in the spring. 



