io6 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



the country slopes gently east towards Bustfontein 

 Qnarry. grazing land covering subjacent sand- 

 stones which occasionally outcrop. To the north- 

 west of No. 2 Picquet the ground is rocky and 

 descends to Tempe Farm. Just south of the farm. 

 about 600 or 700 yards distant, is a cliff of sand- 

 stones, lying on shale ; of these sandstones there 

 " " feet exposed ; they are generally soft, pale 

 buff in colour. One layer contains large boulders ; 

 most of the remainder show small rolled embedded 

 sandstones, in one of these layers the small rolled 

 stones being much iron-stained and concentric in 

 structure. The topmost layer, which is only 

 slightly exposed, has been baked into a very hard 

 rock. The bottom sandstone of this series is 75 feet 

 below the bottom of the spur. 



A little over a mile due south of this cliff 



is a small quarry, corresponding in level with 

 another small quarry about one mile east, and, like 

 it. containing boulders along one course of the 

 exposed sandstone, of which only some-three to four 

 feet have been dug out. These quarries each lie 

 at the foot of a bluff of dolerite, the western bluff 

 having the appearance of being continuous with 

 the dolerite cap to the sandstones at Tempe. In 

 the vicinity of this quarry are some other partial 

 exposures of sandstone, shale in thin layers, and 

 the grey siliceous rock noted on New Fort Kop. 

 The exposures here are very scanty, but it would 

 appear as if the dolerite sheet over these rocks was 

 continuous with that at Tempe, and also extended 

 westward, covering some rocks which are exposed 

 near Spitz Kop. 



{To he concluded.) 



SPIDERS FROM HASTINGS. 



By Frank Percy Smith. 



THE following list of spiders from Hastings and 

 the surrounding district is compiled from a 

 collection made during the early part of this year. 

 My stay in that locality extended only from 

 March 26th to April 14th. During the first part of 

 the period I was unable to make much progre.-s. 

 owing to weakness following a serious illness. In 

 the latter portion of the time the wind was so 

 violent as to make collecting a matter of great 

 difficulty, and I am myself surprised at the number 

 of species taken. 



If straight lines be drawn on a map connecting 

 Battle with the eastern side of Fairlight Glen and 

 a point about a mile to the west of Bexh ill , the 

 triangle formed by these lines and the coast will 

 include all the country under consideration. It 

 must, however, be understood that the whole of 

 this tract was not worked, but simply a few tempt- 

 ing localities in various parts of it. Perhaps a few 

 notes as to these localities may be of use to visitors, 

 as they are all within walking distance of Hastings. 

 Space will not allow of my giving minute details 

 for natural history rambles, but the stranger will 

 find all the information required in a shilling 

 guide published by Ward. Lock & Co. Hastings 

 Old Town lies in a hollow, and to the east of this 

 we find an immense cliff. East HilL Following a 

 path along the cliffs we come to a valley followed 

 by another formidable cliff, and an even more 

 beautiful valley. The first of these depressions is 

 Z lesboume; the second, Fairlight Glen, the 

 eastern limit to our district. Both these glens are 

 prolific with regard to spiders, and would well 

 repay working during the autumn months. To 

 the north of Hastings we may find some good 

 collecting grounds ; namely, the small woods with 

 which this district abounds. The plantation in 



which Hollington Old Church is built is a good 

 example. Although I have denned the district 

 worked as reaching to Battle, the only coUectin g 

 done north of Hollington was in a ditch near Battle 

 station. To the west we find the coast wastes. 

 extending from Bexhill to Pevensey : in which 

 locality I spent one rather unprofitable day. 



I have to acknowledge the valuable help rendered 

 by Mr. Connold, the Hon. Sec. of the Hastings 

 Natural History Society, who personally conducted 

 me to a most important locality, which I had pre- 

 viously missed. 



Although this list does not include any species 

 of extreme rarity, it contains several which are 

 far from common, and some that are of special 

 interest. Of the first we may notice Porrhomma 

 inerrartx Cb.. Cercidia prominent TVestr.. and 

 Oxyptila simplex Cb. In the second may be in- 

 cluded, among others. Atypus jrieeus Sultz.. Micaria 

 palicaria Sund.. and Walckendera acuminata Bl. 



At the head of our list, both in systematic po- 

 sition and general interest, is Atypm pic-ens Sultz.. 

 commonly known as the "trap-door" spider, al- 

 though it makes no such structure. This creature's 

 retreat, which has been so thoroughly explained by 

 Mr. Fred Enock, consists of a tube, sometimes 

 nearly a foot in length, the greater portion of which 

 is buried in the earth, and its detection is a matter 

 of great difficulty. Several adult females were 

 taken, also a nest of young. The family Dictynidae 

 was represented by the three species of Amaurobivs ; 

 namely, A. fenestraUs Stroem.. A. sinrilis BL, and 

 A ferox "VYTk.. and also by Dictyna pttsUla Westr. 

 and B. uncinate Westr. In the family Dysderidae 

 two species were found, and of these only one 

 specimen of each. These were Dysdera croeota 

 Koch, and Harpactes JwmbergU. Scop. The Dras- 



