IN JAVA, 121 



The cephalothorax has a black irregular patch on each side of the 

 hinder part of the thoracic region. The ocular region is somewhat 

 suffused with blackish, and an irregular black, somewhat V-shaped 

 marking indicates the junction of the caput and thorax. The two 

 anterior pairs of legs have some black suffused markings on the upper 

 side of the femora, the fore half (or rather more) of the tibite, the meta- 

 tarsi, and tarsi of those two pairs being almost wholly black ; while the 

 two hinder pairs have only an irregular black marking here and there. 



The spines on the tibise and metatarsi of the first and second pairs of 

 legs are numerous, long, strong, and conspicuous. 



The pale ones (mentioned above) on the upper sides of the femora are 

 used, according to Mr. Forbes's observations, to secure the spider on its 

 back to a patch of whitish silk spun upon the surface of a leaf. When so 

 secured the spider has the exact appearance of the droppings of some 

 bird, and the white silk patch emerging irregularly outside the spider has 

 the appearance of the more liquid portion of the droppings flowing out 

 an I drying on the leaf.* 



The eyes of each row respectively are equidistant from each other, but 

 those of the fore-central pair form a shorter line than those of the hind- 

 central pair. The four central eyes form a square whose anterior side is 

 the shortest; and the height of the clypeus, which projects forwards, 

 is nearly about equal to half that of the facial space. 



The h-js are, as described in the generic diagnosis, strong and minutely 

 tuberoulose, the tibise being of a peculiar bent form. 



A sin>;le example was found by Mr. Forbes in W. Java, and at a later 

 period a second on the Musi Eiver, Sumatra 



* Mr. Forbes has, since the above wns printed, remarked to me (hat in the two 

 instanced which came under liis notice, the resemblance extended even to the 

 running down of the fluid excreta towards the lower side of the sloping leaf, 

 ending in a kind of kiiob. Mr. Forbes also expressly disclaimed the idea of 

 crediting the spider wiih any conscious design, but he says that "the similitude 

 ia so exact, that the spider might have had consciousness, and it could not have 

 been more exact if the spider did have it." Is not its exactness probably the 

 result of the unconsciousness of the spider? Conscious design would possibly 

 have resulted in failure and abandoning the plan, or at least in a more clumsy 

 imitation. 



