158 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [May, 



people seem to have a natural horror of feeling, when they come in 

 contact with them. No doubt the dark places which some inhabit and 

 the dangerous bite of others, have brought down this contempt upon the 

 whole class. And still there are few animals more important and use- 

 ful in the economy of nature, where an adequate balance between 

 all classes of beings must exist, than the Arachnids. They only live 

 upon insects, and destroy a very large number of some, which do much 

 damage and harm to other animal and vegetable life. Indeed, when 

 we look upon their occasionally fantastic forms, there is not much more 

 variety that imagination could invent, than we meet among the 

 Arachnoidea ; and as regards variations of shade, tasteful distribu- 

 tion and brilliancy of colours, they do not remain much behind the 

 beauties of nature, the birds and butterflies. 



It was at first the intention of the author of this paper only to 

 collect materials for a monograph of the Indian ScoitPioNiDiE, because 

 they are better known to most people than the spiders which, being 

 generally harmless, are as a rule passed by unnoticed. The materials 

 for such a monograph, which ought to give a sufficiently perfect 

 account of the group, are, however, only gradually forthcoming, but 

 with the aid of friends, it is to be hoped that the work can soon be 

 brought to a conclusion. 



Meanwhile, a large number of other Arachnoidea has been collected, 

 and among them some are very interesting forms, new to science ; out 

 of these the author had made a selection of species, representing some 

 of the principal divisions, or tribes, of the class. The species are de- 

 scribed with all the necessary details, and of all of them the required 

 illustrations will be given. The object of this arrangement is princi- 

 pally to direct attention to the variety of forms, and to aid those 

 who may feel inducement to take an interest in the study 'of 

 Arachnoidea. It hardly needs to be repeated that few other branches 

 of Indian Zoology offer such a large number of interesting novelties 

 to one who wishes to assist in the study and revelation of the animal I 

 forms surrounding us. 



The species described in the present paper are Gagrella signata and j 

 atrata; Galeodes orientalis ; Telyplionus Assamensis ; Thomisus pug His, \ 

 TJi. elongatus, Th.Pcelianus; Gastracantha Canning ens is ; Meta gra»\ 

 cilis ; Tetragnatha iridescens ; Ncphila angustata; Epeira {Argycpes)i 



