18/0'.] REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON EGYPTIAN SPIDERS. 563 



square whose fore side is a little longer than the hinder side, the 

 two eyes forming the fore side being the largest of the eight, and 

 separated from each other by an interval of rather more than an 

 eye's diameter. 



The legs are strong, but of more moderate length as compared with 

 those of Hersilia, and the metatarsi are undivided ; their relative 

 length appears to be 4, 2, 1, 3, those of the first and second pairs 

 are unicolorous, while the femora and, in some examples, the tibiae of 

 those of the third and fourth pairs are faintly annulated with dusky 

 brown ; they are furnished with hairs and a few short fine spines. 



The palpi are strong and moderately long ; the radial and cubital 

 joints are short, about equal in length, and of a somewhat tumid or 

 nodiform appearance ; the humeral joint has a few black spines dis- 

 persed on its upperside, and there are a few bristles on the other joints ; 

 the digital joint is drawn out at the fore extremity into a longish point 

 (like that of the genus Tegenaria) and terminates with two black, 

 slightly curved claws, in this point resembling Hersilidia simonii, 

 Cambr. (found in the Jordan valley and at Jerusalem). The palpal 

 organs are of a somewhat flattened circular form, encircled with a 

 dark corneous margin or closely fitting spine, and have two small 

 erect corneous processes near together, about the middle of their 

 fore part, one of these processes being shorter and more obtuse but 

 stronger than the other. 



The fakes, maxillcc, and labium are of normal form ; and the 

 sternum has a broadish dusky-brown lateral margin. 



The abdomen is of an oblong-oval form, a little broadest towards 

 its hinder part, rather truncate before, and projecting a little over 

 the base of the cephalothorax ; it is of a straw-yellow colour, clothed 

 with a fine grey pubescence ; on the upperside a well-defined longi- 

 tudinal black-brown marking occupies the middle line ; this marking 

 begins near the fore margin and extends halfway to the spinners, and 

 is very strongly angulated on its edges, the middle part being the 

 strongest, and taken by itself forming a large diamond-shaped patch ; 

 the sides are marked with three or four oblique lines of small elon- 

 gated brown spots reaching quite to the underside, which is of a 

 plain dull luteous colour ; the spinners are short compared with those 

 of Hersilia, but similar in position and character, and resembling 

 the legs in colour. 



The female (immature) resembles the male in colours and 

 markings. 



This species is nearly allied to Hersilidia simonii, Cambr. ; but, 

 besides being larger, it differs both from that species and from 

 11. oraniensis, Luc, in being of a different hue and much less 

 strongly marked, especially in the annulation of the legs ; the pattern 

 also on the abdomen differs notably from that of H. simonii ; and 

 there are on the abdomen none of the coarse hairs with which that 

 of H. simonii is furnished. Two adult males and several immature 

 examples of both sexes were found under stones in the desert be- 

 tween Alexandria and Ramleh. Their position is usually with the 

 legs extended flat upon the underside of the stone, with the sandy- 



