260 



This spider is perhaps the prettiest of all our British species, 

 and its bright green abdomen with a red blotch on the hinder 

 extremity, must be familiar to most persons who take notice of 

 the denizens of their flowering shrubs, especially rose bushes ; on 

 these it maybe seen, near its small geometric web, in spring and 

 throughout the summer. It becomes adult in June and July, 

 and is abundant in all parts of the county of Dorset, and indeed 

 throughout Great Britain. Very young examples are tinged 

 with reddish-brown, but the two rows of black spots on the 

 abdomen are always conspicuous and characteristic. 



The snare is often placed horizontally, though not unfrequently 

 in an inclined position also, but never, so far as I am aware, 

 perpendicularly. 



EPEIRA WESTBINGII. 



Epeira westeinoii, Thorell, Eecensio Critica Aranearum, p. 



106, and Syn. Europ. Spid. pp. 22 and 



548. 

 „ » Thor., Cambr., Ann. and Mag. N. H. for 



Febry. 1878, p. 120. 

 In size, structure, general appearance and colours this spider 

 very closely resembles Ep e ira cucurb itina, Clerck. The male however 

 may be easily distinguished by the absence of the two blackish, 

 longitudinal, lateral bands on the cephalo-thorax, as well as by 

 the digital joints of the palpi and palpal organs being smaller. 

 The curved process at the base of the digital joint also is less 

 curved and scarcely knob-like at the extremity, which is likewise 

 less dark coloured than in E. cucurbitwa. There are also some 

 differences of structure in the palpal organs. With regard to 

 the female, there is great difficulty in la3dng hold of any very 

 tangible distinctions, and hitherto I confess that I have not 

 succeoded in readily distinguishing the sexes of the two species. 

 This difficulty is increased on the continent of Europe, where 



