83 



or oval. The oyos aro in four pairs, tolerably closely grouped 

 together, the four central eyes forming either a square, or very 

 nearly one ; and those of each lateral pair are contiguous to each 

 other ; most of the species of Theridion are prettily marked, and 

 sometimes rather richly coloured. The males are usually much 

 the smallest, and often have, as above mentioned, a differently 

 shaped, and always much smaller abdomen. 



Eighteen species are known as British, thirteen being found in 

 Dorsetshire. * 



THERIDION FORMOSUM. 



Aranetjs formosus, Clerch., Sv. Spindl., p. 5C, pi. iii., tab. 6. 

 Tueridiox sisyphum, Blackw., Spid. Groat Brit, andlrel., p. 179, 

 pi. xiii., fig. 113. 



This is a rare spider in Dorsetshire ; the length of the male is 

 about l-8th of an inch, and that of the female l-6th. I 

 have met with it, on three or four occasions only, in Bere Wood, 

 near Bloxworth, in its web spun among ivy on the trunks of 

 trees. It is a very variable spider in its colouring, but tho 

 abdominal markings aro peculiar, and similar in all the numerous 

 varieties that have come under my notice. The abdomen of the 

 female is proportionally very large, and exceedingly globular on 

 its upper side. Tho prevailing colours are generally black, 

 white, yellow-brown, and red ; the characteristic markings con- 

 sisting of some curved, parallel, narrow, and rather oblique, 

 stripes on each side of the fore extremity, with some others rather 

 divergent, behind them; the convexity of the curve being directed 

 backwards. 



I have met with this spider at Hursley, near Winchester, and 

 it has also been found in some few other localities. 



THERIDION TEPmARIORUM. 



Themdion TEPidaiiiorum, C. L. Koch, Blackw., Spid. Groat Brit, 

 and Irel., p. 180, pi. xiii., fig. 114. 

 This spider is considerably larger than the foregoing, the male 

 measuring I -5th and the female 1 -4th of an inch in length ; though 



