339 



grass and rushes in damp places, moors, and marshes. They 

 are exceedingly active, and, when disturbed, run up the stems 

 of grass or rushes with great rapidity, btretching out the four 

 anterior legs forwards and the four posterior ones backwards 

 along the stem, so that the spider becomes almost invisible, owing 

 to its similarity in colouring to the plant. 



One species only has as yet been found in England, and that 

 one is frequent at Bloxworth and in the neighbourhood. 



TIBELLUS OBLONGUS. 



Philodromtjs oblongus, Walck., Blachw., Spid. Great Brit, and 



Irel., p. 100, pi. v., fig. 60. 

 Thanatus oBLONcrus, Cambr., Trans. Linn. Soc. xxx., p. 331. 



The length of the male is from 3 to 3£, and of the female 4 

 to 5 lines. 



The cephalo-thorax is of a pale brownish-yellow colour, and 

 has three longitudinal dark-brown bands, a sub-marginal one 

 on each side, and a central one. The latter tapers slightly to 

 the hinder extremity, and is bisected longitudinally, through a 

 considerable part of its length, by a yellowish line, beginning 

 at the eyes. The legs are long (their relative length being 2. 4. 

 1.3.) and rather slender. They are a little paler in colour than 

 the cephalo-thorax, and minutely speckled with brown. 



The palpi are short; the radial and cubital joints of equal 

 length ; the former without any apophysis at its extremity. The 

 digital join is not large, it is oval, broadest near its base, and 

 obtusely pointed at its extremity. The palpal organs are 

 moderately prominent, simplo in structure, and have a small, 

 straight, slightly oblique, bluntish-pointed, black spine, directed 

 forwards at their extremity. 



The abdomen is long, narrow, slightly tapering to its hinder 

 extremity, and fits well up to the steep hinder slope of the 

 cephalo-thorax. It is of a dull yellowish-white colour, bisected 

 longitudinally, on the upper side, by a dark-brown, tapering, 

 rather narrow band ; on each side, at the margins of the 



