36 Transactions.— Zoology. 
The male is much smaller than the female, being hardly 2mm. in 
length. The cephalothorax does not differ much from that of the latter, but 
the abdomen is remarkable as it bears a somewhat close resemblance to the 
undeveloped form of a very young female; it is short, broad, and rate 
squarely truncated at either end; the depression at the base is slightly 
concave, and the prominences on either side are rounded and abortive. At 
the posterior end there are six wide, deep, transverse wrinkles extending over 
about one-third of the abdomen, which terminates with prominent, obtuse 
tubercles ; the lateral marginal wrinkles are also well developed. In colour 
the abdomen is a yellowish-brown, mottled with a darker tint. The legs 
have a bright yellow colour, tinged with reddish-brown ; they are furnished 
with hairs, and a very few fine hair-like bristles. The palpi are short, 
resemble the legs in colour, and have a few fine hairs. The femoral joint 
does not greatly exceed the cubital in length; at the base and outer side of 
the latter there is a rather prominent semi-bulb ; the radial joint is darker, 
shorter, and projects on the outer side a short curved apophysis ; imme- 
diately above it the base of the hairy convexity is produced into a similar 
but more curved bright reddish-brown apophysis ; the digital joint is oval, 
convex, and hairy externally, the convex sides directed towards each other ; 
concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which are not very complex ; 
on the outer side, projecting from beneath the upper folds, there is a broad, 
flattish, twin apophysis directed downwards, the extremities are truncated, 
dark, and serrated ; projecting forwards from beneath this apophysis is a 
finely-pointed dark process ; partially in front of this one is a stronger 
dark serrated process, directed downwards. 
. Although this interesting species, from the relative length of the legs 
and the lesser interval between the lateral eyes, appears to be more closely 
allied to Koch's Epeira higginsii and EF. feredayi than to Vinson's A. scor- 
pionoides, Y have thought it preferable to follow Vinson. In reference to its 
long flexible tail he says it is “ susceptible d’abaissement et d’élévation, et 
se recourbe également vers le dos ou vers le ventre ;" this power obtains in 
the N.Z. species. It generally affects shady places, usually spinning its 
small vertieal web beneath the boughs of trees. I have observed the females 
constructing cocoons from October to August; they are composed of light- 
brown silk of a loose felty texture. The female, when fabricating the 
somewhat cylindroid cocoons, spins a strong horizontal line across the 
upper surface of the web, to which she suspends a thin pedicle 10 mm. or 
more in length; this rope-like structure is then enlarged into the first 
cocoon, about 8 mm. in length and 34 mm. in diameter; between this 
cocoon and the next there is a short node; this process is repeated until 
there are sometimes as many as nine cocoons, the entire length being about 
