22 Proceediiujs of the Royal Irish Academy. 



rotmcled in front and on the sides, convex, glossy, with a large inden- 

 tation in the medial line of the posterior region, and is of a brownish- 

 yellow colour. The eyes are seated on black spots, and are disposed 

 in two transverse rows on the anterior part of the cephalothorax ; the 

 four intermediate ones form a square ; the tAvo anterior ones, which are 

 rather the largest of the eight, and seated on a slight protuberance, 

 being situated immediately above the frontal margin ; the eyes of each 

 lateral pair are placed obliquely on a small tubercle, and are con- 

 tiguous. The falces are powerful, very convex in front, vertical, and 

 armed with teeth on the inner surface ; the maxillae are straight, and 

 increase in breadth from the base to the extremity, which is angular 

 and prominent on the outer side. These parts have a brownish-yellow 

 hue, the latter being the darker, particularly on the inner side. The 

 lip is semicii'cular, and of a red-brown colour, the apes being rather 

 the palest ; and the sternum is heart-shaped, with prominences on the 

 . sides, opposite to the legs, and has a yellowish-brown hue. The legs 

 are long, slender, pnovided with hairs and a few fine spines, and are 

 of a dark-brown colour, with the exception of the coxae, femora, and 

 genual joints, which have a yelloAvish-brown hue ; the first pair is the- 

 longest, then the second, and the third pair is the shortest ; each tarsus 

 is terminated by claws of the usual number and structure. The palpi, 

 which are slender, resemble the legs in colour, and have a slightly 

 curved, minutely pectinated claw at their extremity. 



l\^ith the Tetragnatha described above, which belongs to the 

 family Coadunatse of Walckenacr, I have associated the name of Pro- 

 fessor T. Thorcll, Ph. D., whose important works on arachnology 

 should be carefully perused by all students of that department of 

 zoology. 



[This species is exceedingly closely allied to Meta decorata (India), 

 and more nearly still to II. quinquelineata, Keys. (Bogota, South 

 America) ; it is also nearly allied to M. argentata, Camb., and M. 

 culta, Camb., Ceylon. All these species have been described as 

 belonging to the genus Tetragnatha.] 



