55 



in which it lurks with its white cocoon. Nearly all the spiders of the 

 large family of Thomisidee, taking their prey by craft and patient 

 waiting, obtain concealment from their surroundings, which they 

 often resemble in colour. I placed this spider among the blooms of 

 yellow jasmine, in which it lay so well concealed that an unsuspecting 

 fly actually walked on to its palpi. Another of this family, T. citf-ei/s, 

 is known to be green, yellow, and even pure white. Thomisus is 

 easily recognised by the length of the first and second legs. In 

 T. pallidiis the order is 2, i, 3, 4 ; . . . \x\ T. luctiiosus, 2, i, 4, 3. 



" CinifionidcB. Webs of Ciiiiflo were seen on palings, but the 

 spiders were concealed. Ergatis beiiigna was observed. 



"Among the numerous members of the Theridiidce which were 

 seen on ferns and bushes, a little whitish T. palleus was discovered 

 guarding its cocoon on a leaf A picture of this pyriform structure 

 has often been given, as, e. g., in Blackwall. It is larger than the 

 spider, and has several little points projecting from its surface. In 

 this family the first and fourth legs are the longest in the female ; in 

 the male, of course, the order is different, being i, 2, 4, 3. The 

 female remains near her cocoon. T. Hneatum and T. defiticulaium 

 were also observed. 



" Epeh'ida;. The bright green Epeira cuairbitina, which must be 

 reckoned among our ' common spiders,' was fairly abundant. I see 

 that at South Kensington it is shown on a green leaf as an example 

 of protective mimicry, the colour of the abdomen harmonising 

 well with its surroundings. The female found at Wisley spun her 

 cocoon on July 9th. E. callophylla was numerous. Te/ragnatha 

 exte?isa was met with, both ^ and $ . The ? was found by 

 Mr. Noad Clark ; the $ was discovered ' extending ' on a stem of 

 blackthorn. This position is markedly 'protective.' The spider, 

 at rest, extends the first two pairs of legs forward and the last pair 

 backward. The front two pairs are very long ; the third pair 

 extremely short. The spider in this position is not easily noticed. 

 It is well known that Epeira inclinata (frequently found in gardens) 

 and E. antriada have the same habit." 



At the " Black Swan," the very old-fashioned country inn at Martyr's 

 Green, full justice was done to an excellent tea. This was followed 

 by a leisurely stroll along the lanes to Effingham station — a most 

 enjoyable walk on a fine summer evening. Not much "dusking" 

 was done, I believe, but a large number of stag-beetles were noticed 

 on the wing just before reaching the wood. Here Phallus impudicus 

 generally makes its presence known by its extremely unpleasant 

 smell, and does its best to mar the feelings of pleasure that one takes 

 away from a delightful neighbourhood, in this case on an almost 

 perfect day. 



