371 



Tho two central eyes of the anterior row are rather larger 

 than the laterals, and slightly further from each other than each 

 is from the lateral eyo nearest to it. 



The abdomen is thinly clothed with long, bristly, prominont 

 hairs, in addition to the usual shorter puboscenee. The upper 

 side is yellow-brown, frequently tinged with reddish-brown 

 along the middle ; the normal marking on the fore part is of a 

 sub-diamond form and yellowish hue, pointed behind, margined 

 with black, and emits a short, oblique, black line on each side 

 from its broadost part. At a little distance from the 

 normal marking, on each side, is a diffused, blackisli, 

 longitudinal band, continued backwards by a strong zigzag 

 black line converging towards the spinners; the different 

 parts of the zigzag lines are formed by the terminations 

 of the usually obsoleto angular bars ; one of those parts, about 

 half way between the termination of the normal marking and 

 tho spinners, is much stronger than the rest, and forms a con- 

 spicuous dark blotch, very characteristic of the species. The 

 sides are yellow-brown, obscurely spotted with dark-brown, and 

 the under side is of a paler hue. The normal marking is fre- 

 quently clothed with greyish hairs. 



The male is usually darker coloured than the female, and 

 looks almost uniformly black as it runs about. 



This is a very abundant species. All kinds of rough and 

 waste places, especially those with faggot ricks, wood stacks, or 

 heaps of refuse near, and overgrown in parts with rank herbage, 

 are very favourite habitats for it ; it is also found in woods 

 and rough grass fields. In such situations it may be found, often 

 in great abundance, on warm bright spring mornings. It is one 

 of tho largest British species of the genus, and is usually adult 

 at tho end of May and in June ; but in some seasons it comes to 

 maturity as early as March and April. I have seldom failed to 

 find this spider in every part of Dorset in which I have looked 

 for it in situations similar to that above mentioned ; and it is dis- 

 tributed abundantly over the Unitod Kingdom. 



