596 



I met with adults of both sexes of this spider at tho roots of 

 heather on sandy spots at Bloxworth Heath during the month of 

 June, 1880. It occurs in company with a little ant (Myrmica 

 fusca) which is abundant on the same spots, and to which the 

 spiders bear such an exceedingly close resemblance, both in 

 general form and colours, that it needs a practised eye to 

 distinguish them when running about together. It is closely 

 allied to, but I think quite distinct from, Walchendera licolor, 

 Blackw., of which, unfortunately, the only example I ever 

 possessed was accidentally destroyed many years ago. 



WALCKENAERA MELANOCEPHALA, Sp.Tl. 



Adult male, length nearly about l-10th of an inch; female 

 l-8th. 



The thorax and legs are of a bright reddish-orange colour • 

 the caput and palpi, as well as the tibite of the first and second 

 pairs of legs, being black, or strongly suffused with blackish ; 

 the f alces also are the same, though less strongly suffused than 

 the rest, and the sternum slightly so. The abdomen is black 

 and glossy. 



The occipitalportion of the caput is considerably elevated ; looked 

 at in profile the elevation is convexly curved in a slightly sloping 

 direction from the anterior to the posterior extremity, which is 

 rather below the level of the highest part of the thorax. The 

 elevation is marked on each side, from the ordinary level of the 

 caput by a deep, horizontal, tapering indentation, which runs 

 backwards from just above and behind the hind-lateral eye, and 

 at its fore part the elevation drops rather abruptly to the 

 ordinary level. 



The eyes of the hind-central pair are placed at the fore- 

 extremity of the elevation, and are separated by a very little 

 more than a diameter's interval ; their distance from the fore- 

 central pair being nearly about equal to that which separates the 

 two lateral pairs. The transverso line of the anterior oyes of 



