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ing backwards, and obtusely dentated or einuous on the margins, 

 which are marked by a black, and yellowish- white, contiguous lines. 

 This band is more or less thickly and regularly spotted with round 

 and elongate white or yellowish spots, the greater part, and the 

 largest of which are arranged in the form of a large cross 

 towards the fore-extremity, with two or three short, oblique, 

 lateral lines of white spots, emitted on each side from the 

 longitudinal portion of the cross as it runs backwards towards the 

 6pinners; on each side of the central band the abdomen is 

 yellow-brown, spotted with whitish, and the sides are somewhat 

 obliquely marked with dull yellowish-white and darker yellow- 

 brown parallel bands or stripes, sometimes edged with blackish, 

 and obscurely mottled with dull whitish. The under side is 

 yellowish-brown, with a broad, central, longitudinal, dark-brown 

 band, on the fore part of which are two, marginal, curved, 

 yellowish-white stripes, whose hinder extremities are much 

 dilated. A long, rather slender, somewhat sinuously curved, 

 and transversely wrinkled process is directed backwards from 

 the fore margin of the genital aperture. 



The above description is from an example whose prevailing 

 tone of colour is yellow-brown ; the distribution, however, of 

 colour, and the pattern is similar, whatever be the prevailing 

 hue. In the blacker specimens the cruciform arrangement of 

 spots is all the more distinct by the strong contrast of the 

 colours, those 6pots being then quite white. 



The male is very much smaller than the female, but its colours 

 and pattern are generally similar, though the central band on 

 the cephalo-thorax is narrower, and the spots on the abdomen 

 are less numerous. The inner side of the fore-extremity of tho 

 tibico of the second pair of legs is incrassated, and armed with 

 numerous short, strong, spines, probably intended for defence 

 against enemies — perhaps against the attacks of the female, to 

 whom is attributed (and no doubt sometimes justly) the propensity 

 to devour the male, if she can catch him, when he approaches her 

 at the pairing season. Although I have been in the habit of 

 observing this spider, among others, now for the last twenty. 



