On some obscure British Spiders. 69 



VII. — Descriptive Notes on some obscure British Spiders f 

 with Description of a new Species. By the Rev. Frederick 

 O. Pickard-Cambridge. 



[Plate II.] 



Or the spiders described in the following pages one is new to 

 science and another new to the British list. These species, 

 belonging to two different genera, were both found in the 

 Lake districts of Cumberland upon Mount Helvellyn, during 

 a hasty ascent made by no means with a view to hard work 

 amongst the spiders. There can be little doubt that the Lake 

 districts, both vale and hill regions, will, when worked, pro- 

 duce a number of good things. The warm moist glens or 

 chines, so noticeable a feature in the country round Carlisle 

 and the hilly north-west of England, seem to be particularly 

 suitable to the encouragement of spider-life ; and, although 

 other more important occupations have hitherto prevented any 

 extended or diligent search in these localities, yet I feel con- 

 vinced, judging from casual captures caught up at odd times 

 and in odd places, that there is a considerable wealth of species 

 to be " turned up " by a zealous arachnologist. 



So far I am unable to make any comprehensive note upon 

 the spider fauna of Cumberland with a view to a knowledge 

 of the distribution of species ; but the few data which have 

 come to hand would indicate that many species rare in the 

 extreme south are abundant in the north, noticeably Amau- 

 robius fene strolls , Stroem, Lycosa agricola, Th., Cryphoeca 

 silvicola, Blackw., Cadotes atropos, Walck., Tmeticus scopiger } 

 Grube ; but beyond this fact and the conjecture that we have 

 up here a number of species which are peculiar to Alpine 

 regions, it is impossible, with the very small amount of 

 material yet gathered together, to draw any general conclu- 

 sions as to climatic influences which may be of any service to 

 the question of geographical distribution. One would be 

 inclined to expect that many of the species apparently peculiar 

 to the north would be found in the southern counties in 

 localities whose physical characteristics are somewhat similar, 

 e. g. in the hilly districts of the three extreme south-western 

 counties and in Wales. 



The opportunity has been taken in the following paper of 

 including in a synoptic table diagnoses of those genera adopted 

 by M. Simon in his classification of those species of the 

 family Therididaj which fall under one of his subgroups 

 Linyphini. It is not yet possible to say that the subdivision 



