PTION OF GENERA AND SPECIES. 141 
> "genital organs of the two species are alike. I have no male of FE. cornuta to compare with 
that of E. strix. The following description is of the American specimen. 
CerpuAtorHorax; Oval, quadrate in front, rounded at the sides; truncate behind, where 
slightly notched ; the slope is not steep to the median fosse, which is tolerably deep; 
arched, slightly elevated at the middle above the corselet. Color brown or yellowish 
wn, glossy, a thick row of gray hairs along the margin, which are more lightly dis- 
ted upon the sides and the deep cephalic suture, and more heavily upon the caput 
: of the eyes, and again upon the face in front. Sternum shield shaped, longer than 
de, the width not greatly unequal throughout; dark glossy brown, with a lighter median 
| and hairy; sternal cones wanting. The lip as wide as long, subtriangular. The max- 
lee obtusely triangular at the tips, as wide as long, and, like the lip, dark glossy brown, 
ghter at the tips. 
_ Eyes: The ocular quad on a rounded prominence, much more decided in front; MF, 
deed, may be said to be placed upon large separate tubercles. The quadrilateral wider in 
t than behind, and the length about equal to the greatest width; MF are separated by 
t 1.5 to 2 diameters, and are larger than MR, which are set dlose together, not being 
separated by more than a radius. The side eyes are upon low tubercles, are separated by 
about a radius of SR, which is somewhat smaller than SF, and situated behind it low upon 
the sides, thus bringing it almost into the front row of eyes. MF are separated from SF 
by about 1.3 their area, or 2.5 times their intervening distance. The front row is but little 
Shee recurved, the rear row, which is much the longer, is procurved. The space between SR 
and MR is at least three times the area of the latter; height of clypeus about twice 
: diameter MF. 
—- . Les: Stout, rather short for the size of the species, leg-I measuring 16 mm. Order, 
AS 1, 2, 4,3. They are heavily clothed with yellowish gray hairs, and with numerous blackish 
or blackish brown spines. Color yellow, with dark brown annuli at the ends of the joints; 
: ~ no median annuli ; palps similarly colored and heayily armed at the tips. Mandibles coni- 
m a: == cal, much arched at the base, where they slightly project beyond the plane of the face, are 
| or sparsely covered on the insides with gray hairs, and have a decided cog at the articulation 
~e with the side face; they are dark glossy brown, almost black. — 
q Aspommn: A long oval, very little diminishing from base to apex; dorsum not highly 
arched, and, except in gravid females, rather flat; base overhangs cephalothorax; the apex 
rounded and high above spinnerets; dorsal folium wide, diminishing somewhat towards the 
spinnerets ; the margin, which is undulating, is dark brown or blackish, enclosing a herring 
bone pattern of yellow, having a broken median band of darker color. A narrow ribbon 
of whitish gray borders the scalloped edge of the folium, merging into broad ribbons of 
yellowish color along the sides, the color of the yellow bands, particularly within the folium, 
being sometimes cretaceous. These are followed farther down by a band of darker color 
extending to the venter. The skin is glossy. The venter has a broad band of dark brown 
bordered by yellowish lunettes. The epigynum (Plate I., Fig. 10) has a short thin scapus, 
and the portule of the atriolum are separated by a broad, oval frontal plate, over which 
the tip of the scapus extends. In some specimens the abdomen is quite dark, even blackish, 
and this is not infrequent with the young. 
Marg; The male differs little in color and marking from the female, and is not greatly 
less in length (9 mm.), and specimens may sometimes be found equal to the female. The palp 
is marked by a curved lanceolate hook at the extermity, terminating in a quite decided point. 
Thé second tibia is curved and armed upon the inside with strong, black clasping spines. 
DisrripuTion: This species is one of the most common in the Eastern United States, 
: and is distributed along the Atlantic seaboard and Middle States from Canada to the south, 
where I have collected it and observed its habits. Its extension westward I haye not been 
> able to trace beyond Wisconsin (Professor Peckham), but it is probably widely distributed. 
As E. cornuta, the principal form, it is widely dispersed over Europe. I have captured it in 
Great Britain and Norway, and a young specimen which I take to be this species on the upper 
railings of the dome of St. Peter’s in Rome. Most students of spiders haye been greatly 
troubled in determining the foregoing three species, namely, Epeira strix, E. sclopetaria, 
& 
