187G.] REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON EGYPTIAN SPIDERS. 593 



The cephalothorax is of ordinary form, of a yellowish grey colour, 

 with two very distinct broad lateral longitudinal (but not marginal) 

 dark-brown bands ; these bands, however, touch the margin at the 

 point where they terminate in front, close to the junction of the caput 

 and thorax, behind which their lower margin is rather strongly den- 

 ticulate. 



The legs are very long and slender ; their relative length is 

 4, 3, 2, 1 ; and their colour is pale whitish-yellow, more or less 

 spotted and marked beneath the femora with greyish yellow-brown; 

 and they are furnished with hairs and a few inconspicuous spines. 



The palpi are similar to the legs in colour ; the radial and cubital 

 joints are short, but of equal length ; and at the outer extremity of 

 the former is a slightly curved, tapering, narrow, pointed brown 

 apophysis ; the digital joint is oval, rather longer than the radial and 

 cubital joints together ; the palpal organs are simple in structure, 

 with a slightly curved pointed corneous process, which begins on 

 their inner side, and projects, with a sharp black point, from their 

 extremity. 



The abdomen is oval, and projects well over the base of the 

 cephalothorax ; its fore extremity is rounded, and its posterior 

 extremity blunt-pointed ; it is of a dull cream-grey colour, with the 

 normal marking on the fore half of the upperside very distinct and 

 well defined and of a deep brown colour, with an angular point near 

 the middle on each side, and truncated or blunt-pointed at its hinder 

 extremity, from each corner of which there projects sometimes a very 

 short oblique dark brown line or point ; the sides of the abdomen 

 are obscurely marked and mottled with brown ; but the rest of the 

 surface scarcely shows any trace of colour in markings. 



The female resembles the male in colours and markings, but is 

 much larger ; and the legs are shorter, and their relative proportion 

 appears to differ, being in this sex 4, 2, 3, 1 ; the difference, 

 however, if any, between those of the second and third pairs is 

 exceedingly slight. 



Adults of both sexes were found in desert places near Alexandria, 

 where they were very difficult to be seen except when moving, owing 

 to the exact adaptation of their colours to the surface of the ground ; 

 and when moving they were exceedingly difficult to capture, owing 

 to the swiftness of their movements, 



I feel no doubt that these are identical with the species 

 recorded from Palestine, although in all the male specimens and 

 some of the females obtained there, besides the markings above 

 noticed, the remainder of the upper surface of the abdomen is marked 

 more or less distinctly with yellowish brown, forming on the hinder 

 half a somewhat regular, tapering pattern, denticulated on its outer 

 margins, sometimes divided by an indistinct pale longitudinal stripe, 

 and sometimes with several transverse curved or slightly angular dark 

 lines, more or less visible ; the cephalothorax also often has the 

 space between the dark lateral bands occupied by a longitudinal 

 tapering dark stripe ; and the legs are of a generally darker and more 

 suffused hue. In fact, it would be correct to describe the Egyptian 



