REV. O. P. CAMnUIDGE ON NEW SPIDERS. 265 



creation are in general far less varied and interesting than are 

 the habits of those which derive their existence from the vege- 

 table kingdom, 



From one cause and another, the home-student of exotic 

 araclmology has in general but little to offer to science beyond 

 mere dry scientific descriptions of species, varied perhaps with 

 the announcement of a new genus, or the construction of a larger 

 group, under the title of a family, with a new name ; no one 

 will, however, I think, dispute that if this is all that can be done, 

 it is yet some little addition to our knowledge of the class, to place 

 ■these descriptions, bald and uninteresting though they may be, 

 upon record. Of such a nature, I fear, are the descriptions of the 

 species subjoined. Eemarkable, indeed, these species are to the 

 aracliuological eye, in form and details of structure ; but they 

 must unfortunately be presented with very little beyond a mere 

 statement of those details. 



Five out of the six species given are from that wonderful 

 depot of singular forms in all branches of Natural History, 

 Australia ; the remaining one is from Ceylon. The first three 

 species (of the family Mygalides, genus JSriodon, Latr.) form 

 (with the typical species, M occatorius) a very distinct and well- 

 marlced group, as far as yet known, peculiar to Australia, but 

 still allied unmistakably to other groups of the same family. 



Upon the last two species I have taken the liberty to found a 

 new genus {Thlaosoma, OXau), to bruise or crush, and crbofxa, the 

 body). This genus I have attached to the family Thomisides, for 

 the reasons given in the subjoined description. I am, however, 

 inclined to think that some day or other, when the Araneology of 

 Australia has been more completely worked out, it will be found 

 that Thlaosoma is the type of a new and well-characterized family 

 peculiar to that region of the world. 



I had hoped to be able to include in the present paper a 

 description and sketches of several other most remarkable species 

 of another yet undescribed genus, for which I propose the name 

 Stephanopsis; for this genus I am as yet absolutely at a loss to find 

 any family relations whatever. All these species are also from 

 Australia; in fact, judging bj' analogy of its otlier animal forms, and 

 from the above and some other samples of Spiders received from 

 Australia, the time is probably not far distant when the present 

 arrangement of Aranoidea must open to receive still further 

 additions to its fundamental groups. Mr. II. II. Barton Bradley, 



