236 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Euryopis flavo-rnaculata Koch. ( Theridion 

 Jlavo-maculatum Bl.) 



Length. Male 3.5 mm., female 4 mm. 



Cephalo-thorax brown. Legs paler, with the 

 exception of the tarsi, metatarsi, and tibiae. Ab- 

 domen very dark brown, with some distinct reddish 

 and pale markings on its upper side. A rare spider. 



Euryopis haematostigma Bl. {Theridion 

 haematostigma Bl. ) This species may be distinguished 

 from E. flavo-macidatum Koch by its smaller size. 

 The cephalo-thorax is also of a paler tint. Found in 

 Ireland. 



GENUS STEATODA SUND. 



Eyes in two curved rows, fheir convexities being 

 towards one another. The centrals form a quadri- 

 lateral figure, almost a square. The anterior centrals 

 are larger than the laterals of the same row. The 

 male is furnished with a very distinct stridulating 

 organ. 



Steatoda bipunetata Linn. ( Theridion qnad- 

 ripunctatnm Bl. ) 



Length. Male 5 mm., female 6 mm. 



The comparatively large size of this species and 

 the peculiar colour of the abdomen, which is purplish- 

 brown, make it easily recognisable. It is a fairly 

 common spider. I have recently taken females in a 

 dilapidated barn at Golder's Hill, Hampstead. 



GENUS CRUSTULINA MENGE. 



Similar to Steatoda Sund. ; but the anterior central 

 eyes are equal, or the centrals smaller than the 

 laterals. The convexity of the anterior row is not so 

 great as in that genus. 



Crustulina sticta Cb. ( Theridion stictum Bl. ) 

 Length. Male 2.2 mm., female 2.7 mm. 

 Easily recognised by the cephalo-thorax and ster- 

 num being studded with minute punctures. Not 

 common. 



Crustulina guttata Wid. 



Length. Male 1.7 mm., female 2 mm. 



Closely allied to C. sticta Cb. , but smaller. The 

 abdomen is also considerably darker, and is marked 

 with pale spots. Not common. 



GENUS TEUTANA Sim. 



May be distinguished from the genus Steatoda by 

 the posterior row of eyes being straight, or slightly 

 curved, with the convexity directed backwards. 



Teutana grossa Clk. ( Theridion versutum Bl. ) 

 Length of male 6 mm. May be distinguished from 

 its allies by its large size. Rare. 



Teutana nobilis Thor. 



Described in " Spiders of Dorset " under the name 

 of Steatoda clarkii. 



GENUS ASAGENA SUND. 



This genus is distinguishable from Steatoda by the 

 distance between the posterior central eyes being less- 

 than between one of them and the adjacent lateral, 

 and also by the lateral eyes being set on distinct 

 oblique prominences. 



Asagena phalerata Panz. ( Theridion signa- 

 turn Bl. ) 



Length. Male 4.5 mm., female 5 mm. A rare- 

 spider. 



GENUS ENOPLOGNATHA PAY. 



The spiders in this genus are similar in many 

 respects to those preceding, with the exception that 

 the maxillae are only slightly inclined towards the 

 labium, which is hardly half their length. The 

 sternum is rather prolonged posteriorly. 



Enoplognatha thoraecia Hahn. Described as 



Neriene albipnnctata Cb. in " Spiders of Dorset." 



GENUS PEDANOSTETHUS SIM. 



In this genus, which is closely allied to Enoplognatha,. 

 the labium is more than half the length of the maxillae. 

 The sternum, also, is truncated at its posterior ex- 

 tremity. 



Bl. 



Pedanostethus lividus Bl. {Neriene livida 



Length. Male 3.5 mm., female 4 mm. 

 Cephalo-thorax and legs reddish-brown, abdomen 

 dark yellowish-brown. 



(To he continued.') 



Rainfall in Britain. — Mr. PI. Mellish read a 

 paper on "The Seasonal Rainfall of the British 

 Isles " at the last meeting of the Royal Meteoro- 

 logical Society, which was illustrated with a number 

 of lantern slides. He discussed the rainfall returns 

 from 210 stations for the twenty-five years 1866-90, 

 and calculated the percentage of the mean annual 

 rainfall for each season. In winter the largest per- 

 centages are found at the wet stations and the 

 smallest at the dry ones. Spring is everywhere the 

 driest quarter, and very uniform over the country. 

 In summer the highest percentages are found in the 

 dry districts and the lowest in the wet ones. As the 

 spring is everywhere dry, so is the autumn every- 

 where wet, and there is little difference in the pro- 

 portion of the annual total which falls in the different 

 districts. As regards the relation between the amount 

 of rain which falls in the wettest and driest month at 

 any station, it seems to be generally the case that the 

 range is larger for wet stations than for dry ones. 

 In wet districts rather more than twice as much rain 

 falls on the average in the wettest month as in the 

 driest, and in dry districts rather less than twice. The 

 paper is one of considerable interest, and contains- 

 many points which may open the way to further 

 discussion. 



