1880.] MR. HOLDSWORTH ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF ASTACUS. 421 



The Secretary exhibited a Spider of the geiiu3 Tei/enaria, which 

 had been forwarded to him from Cape Town with the following 

 letter : — 



Cape Town, 

 April 9, 1880. 

 Dear Sir, — 



I send per this post a registered package, containing a 

 "Tarantula " Spider. I caught it within three miles of Cape Town, on 

 the back of a horse. All here were very unwilling to touch it, owing 

 to its deadly bite ; but I, using chloroform, secured it. The mare has 

 since died ; and the effects produced by the bite are similar to St. 

 Vitns's dance in a human being. Trusting to hear of its safe arrival, 



I remain, dear Sir, 



Yours very faithfully, 



J. II. Payne. 



The Secretary stated that Mr. O. P. Cambridge, to whom he had 

 submitted the specimen, had kindly examined the Spider, and had pro- 

 nounced it to belong to an apparently new species of Tegenaria, 

 closely allied to T. guyoni, a species common in London cellars. 



Mr. Cambridge confessed to much incredulity as to the mare 

 having died from the bite of this Spider, and said that, though no 

 doubt the facts stated were correct so far as regards the Spider 

 having been found on the back of tlie mare and the mare having 

 subsequently died, he required very clear and good evidence besides 

 to convince him that the two facts were related to each other as 

 cause and effect. 



Mr. G. E. Dobson exhibited a new and remarkable species of 

 Megaderma, proposed to be called M. gigas, sent from Queensland 

 to the Gottingen Museum by Dr. Schuette. 



Lord Lilford exhibited and made remarks upon some specimens of 

 hybrid Pheasants between males of Phasianus reevesi and hens of 

 P. colchicus and allied species, remarkable for their size Mid beautiful 

 plumage. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. Note on the Disti'ibutlou of the Crayfish {Astacus) in 

 Spain. By E. W. H. Holdsworth, E.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. 



[Received April 20, 1880.] 



In the valuable memoir by Professor Huxley on the Classification 

 and Distribution of the Cra} fishes, published in the 'Proceedings' of 

 this Society (18/9, p. 752), the author refers to the long-standing 

 belief that the Crayfish is not to be found in the Spanish rivers ; but 

 he thought there was little doubt that it was to be met with about 



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