261 



a third, closely allied, spooies (Ep'iira alpica, L. Koch) is also 

 found. 



Dr. Thorell, in his valuable work on the " Synonyms of 

 European Spiders," p. 549, makes some remarks upon tho 

 difficulty of distinguishing the females of these three specios. 



An adult male, with a female, which I believe to be of this 

 species, were kindly sent to me from Glanvilles Wootton, by Mr. 

 C. "W. Dale, at the end of June, 1877. Before that date it had 

 not been noted in Britain, though being so similar to the common 

 Epeira cucurbitina it has probably been overlooked, and hence 

 we may expect it to occur oftener in future. 



Both this spider and Ep'iira cucurbitina lose most of their 

 beauty, and often all their colour and markings, when preserved, 

 whether in a dry state, or in spirit of wine, or in any other 

 fluid. 



EPEIKA ADIANTA. 



Epeira adianta, Walch, Blackw., Spid. Great Brit, and Irel., 

 p. 348, pi. xxv., fig. 251. 



The male measures about 2J lines in length, and the female 

 about 3. There is, however, some considerable variation in 

 the size of both sexes. 



The cephalo-thorax is but slightly constricted on the lateral 

 margins of the caput, which is also narrower at the fore 

 extremity than in many othors of this genus, the eyes being con- 

 sequently more closely grouped, but the lateral pairs are still 

 placed at the outer corners of the fore part of the caput. The 

 ocular region is rather prominent, and the clypeus exceedingly 

 low. The cephalo-thorax is yellow, tinged with brown, and has 

 a narrow, central, longitudinal, black-brown stripe, with a 

 longitudinal band of deep reddish-brown, on each side, a little 

 way above the margin, and running quite through to tho lateral 

 pair of eyes. 



The legs are similar to the cophalo-thorax in colour, with 



