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FAMILY PHOLCIDES. 



(S^HIS family consists of spiders possessing eight eyes, in the 

 fir only known British genus, as well as of others, both 

 ^ L European and exotic, with but six eyes. They may bo known 

 by their small, generally somewhat cylindrical abdomen, and 

 excessively long slender legs, as well as by the prominence of 

 the foro part of the cephalo-thorax near the falces. Tho tarsal 

 claws are 3. The eyes of the eight-eyed species are placed in 

 three groups — two lateral groups, each consisting of three con- 

 tiguous eyes of tolerable size, and between these the third group of 

 two other eyes, contiguous to each other and very small, is placed 

 in a tranverse line. In the six-eyed species, the central group is 

 wanting ; they are found almost always in houses, ruins, or in 

 buildings, of some kind ; or, occasionally, under and among large 

 stones and rocks, lying loosely in heaps. Ono genus only (hav- 

 ing eight eyes) is represented in Great Britain. 



GENUS PHOLCUS, Walch. 



The thoracic region is round, with a largo, deep pit, or indenta- 

 tion in the middle ; the eyes are in three groups as above men- 

 tioned, and the legs exceedingly long and attenuated, their 

 relative length being 1.2.4.3. Maxilk* long, narrow, enlarged 

 at their base, tapering to their extremities, and curved round the 

 labium, which is large, narrow at the base, broad in the middle, 

 and rounded at the apex. 



