886 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



The method described above will be found useful for preserving many 

 other small-bodied flies besides mosquitoes, and will, we think, be welcomed 

 by all those who wish to make collections under tropical conditions. 



CHAS. A BENTLEY, m.b., d.p.h., 

 J. TAYLOR, Capt., i.m.s. 

 Bombay Bacteriological Laboratory, Parel, 

 Bombay, 11th August 1910. 



No. XLL— OBSERVATIONS ON THE SPIDER GALEODES 



INDICUS. 



But little is known about the group of arachnids to which the subject of 

 this note belongs. The Cambridge Natural History contains but 8 pages 

 on the whole order (Palpigradi) . A few notes made with a captive female 

 under observation, therefore, may be of interest. 



All Indian Galeodes are, I believe, nocturnal in habit ; although sometimes 

 met with during the day time, it is generally because they have been 

 disturbed out of some dark retreat. 



They are very nimble and course rapidly about at night in search of 

 prey, insects of practically all descriptions, and sometimes come within the 

 circle of one's lamp in pursuit. 



From an external casual examination, armed as they are with two pairs 

 of formidable toothed mandibles, one would suppose that these creatures 

 tear and bodily devour their prey. This, however, is not the case. The 

 terrifying jaws are but the portals to a narrow beak or tube formed by the 

 fusion of the labium and labrum and capable of admitting fluids alone. 

 The mandibles perform the duties of seizing and crushing the insects fed 

 upon. 



If the jaws are separated laterally, the beak can be seen protruding 

 shortly between them. 



These powerful mandibles are capable of great lateral and vertical motion 

 so that comparatively large insects, can be seized. There is marked 

 muscular development of the basal portion of the mandibles, which, at first 

 sight, seem to form part of the cephalothorax, and they are capable of 

 exerting considerable crushing force. Owing to this large development, 

 when the jaws are working, the whole head seems to take part in the 

 movement. 



The possession of poison by members of this family is still in doubt ; the 

 work already quoted states : — " Several investigators have allowed them- 

 selves to be bitten without any special result" (Vol. IV, p. 424). I regret 

 that I have no very positive fact to give on this subject, but I noted that 

 every insect firmly seized seemed immediately paralysed, and I could never 

 detect the smallest movement of leg or antenna after the first bite. 



