124 Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 



horizontal. In the large chamber remains of beetles were generally 

 found. The burrows were generally very deep, frequently 35 cm. 

 in depth, but sometimes (in hard clay) only 18 cm. Most of the 

 burrows were without any silken lining (owing, perhaps, to the moist 

 nature of the soil at the time, which prevented the sand from falling 

 in), but in some cases the upper part was lined with web. No 

 attempt at a turret round the entrance was met with. 



The $ $ were mostly found under stones and old tins, but one 

 was discovered in a burrow 1\ cm. deep. 



S. pectiniger (Ctenonemus pectiniger, E. Sim.), of which we obtained 

 3 $ $ , 14 2 2 , and 3 juv. at Matjesfontein, is very closely allied to 

 pallidipes, n. sp., from which the ? differs as follows: Colour 

 slightly darker, the legs tinged with greenish ; abdomen with large 

 patch of blackish-purple in front, the posterior stripes also often 

 continued down the sides. Chelicera shorter, the length of the 

 inferior groove subequalling but not exceeding the median length of 

 the sternum, the outer row of teeth below longer and much stronger, 

 its length being i (rarely only f) of that of the groove and exceeding 

 (rarely subequalling) half that of the inner row, the teeth 10-16 in 

 number, the posterior part of the row being frequently doubled and 

 the anterior ones much stronger than in pallidipes. The $ differs 

 further in having the scopulae in tarsi I.-III. denser and broader 

 and practically entire, the setae of the dividing line being very minute 

 or obsolete, the fourth tarsus quite without scopula, and the inner 

 apical spine on under side of first tibia placed more proximally to 

 the distal spur, the spur and spine being separated at base by nearly 

 or quite twice the width of the spur. 



I also examined a large number of the nests of pectiniger, which 

 were common everywhere from the river to the tops of the hills. 

 Fig. B, which was sketched from an actual nest, represents the 

 general plan upon which these nests are constructed, and shows (a) 

 a short, inclined, silk-lined tube, 11 mm. in diameter at the entrance 

 and 4^ cm. in length, leading into (b) an enlarged chamber, 23 mm. in 

 diameter, out of which two other tubes lead, namely, (c) a deep and 

 more or less vertical burrow, 9^ mm. in diameter and descending to a 

 depth of about 20 \ cm. from the surface, and (d) a short and more hori- 

 zontal burrow 42 mm. in length. At the entrance the burrow is, as a 

 rule, not more than 13 mm. in diameter (rarely as much as 16 mm.), 

 and the silken lining spreads out slightly and is either flush with the 

 surface of the ground or more generally projects slightly to form a 

 very short turret, which does not, however, exceed 3J mm. in height, 

 and is covered with bits or wood and stone adhering to its outer 

 surface. The short blind chamber (d) is very variable in position, 



