292 



The palpal organs are of simple form and structure, with a 

 small curved spine at their extromity on the outer side. 



The abdomen is oval, rather depressed on the upper side, and 

 covers the base of the cophalo-thorax ; its colour above is pale 

 greenish- white, with two black, longitudinal, nearly parallol 

 bands on tho hinder half, on each side is an irregular longi- 

 tudinal band of the same colour running to the spinnors, and 

 the under side is reddish-brown with a broad, central, longitu- 

 dinal band of a dark roddish-brown huo approaching to black. 



The great dissimilarity botween tho males and females ef this 

 family make it often nocessary to describe each sex at longth. 



This is a common spidor in Dorsetshire (and, indeed, in most 

 other parts of England). It may be found on various plants 

 and flowers, in which it lies concealed both by the petals and 

 other parts, as well as very often by its own similarity to them 

 in colour. I have found the female very partial to tho blooms 

 of the great mullein ( Vtrbascum thapsttsj, and have more than 

 once seen it catch and kill a bee which had come to suck the 

 honey from the flower. On another 'occasion I observed one, 

 hidden among the petals of a rose, catch a small copper butter- 

 fly ( Chrysophanus phlceasj, which it quickly overpowered and 

 killed. The bloom of the furze is also a favourito resort of 

 Misicmena vatia. The males are genorally wandorers from plant 

 to plant, and from flowor to flower, while the female remains for 

 a long time in one place. 



GENUS DI^EA, Thorett. THOMISUS, Blackw., in part. 



The genus Dim is closely allied both to Hisumena and Thomisut. 

 The curvo, however, of the front row of eyes is much less strong 

 than that of tho same row in thoso genera, and the two rows are 

 thus nearly concentric ; the lateral eyes of the front row are 

 distinctly larger (in proportion) than those of the two foregoing 

 genera, the interval between the eyes of each latoral pair being also 

 greater. Tho four centrals form a quadrangle, whose length is 

 greater than its breadth. Tho abdomen (in both sexes) is oval, 

 and the disproportion in the length of the legs of the two first, 



