211 



« 



ally aroused the excretory functions, so as ultimately to remove the poison from the 

 system ; for although suffering under its influence for a considerable time, it does not 

 appear to have left any permanent effects behind it, for the man has since been in per- 

 fect health. 



Mr. Wright fiirtber states that the Maoris are well acquainted with 

 these spiders, and have always considered their bite very dangerous. 

 The tufts of sedge upon the sea-beach are the favorite haunts of the red- 

 spotted variety, and the natives avoid sleeping in such places. Half a 

 stone's throw inland, however, they do not fear the Katipo. The native 

 remedy consists in rubbing the part and applying hot half-scalded leaves. 

 Formerly the priests were consulted and incantations to the gods of the 

 hills and valleys were supposed to be efQcacious. 



It will possibly appear to the reader that after collecting this testi- 

 mony we are as far from the solution of the question, " Do spider bites 

 ever i)roduce fatal results?" as w'e were before; but it seems to us, 

 after analyzing the evidence, that it must at least be admitted that cer- 

 tain spiders of the genus Latrodectus have the power to inflict poisonous 

 bites, which may (probably exceptionally and depending upon excep- 

 tional conditions) bring about the death of a human being. Admitting 

 in its fullest force the argument that in rei^orted cases the spider has 

 seldom if ever been seen by a reliable observer to inflict the wound, we 

 consider that the fact that species of Latrodectus occurring in such 

 widely distant localities as South Europe, the Southern United States, 

 and New Zealand are uniformly set aside by the natives as poisonous 

 species, when there is nothing especially dangerous in their appearance, 

 is the strongest argument for believing that these statements have 

 some verification in fact. It is no wonder that a popular fear should 

 follow the ferocious-looking spiders of the family Theraphosoida?; but 

 considering the comparatively small size and modest coloring of the 

 species of Latrodectus so wide-spread a i3rejudice, occurring in so many 

 distinct localities, must be well founded. 



As no good figure of our Latrodectus mactmis has been published, w^e 

 have had Dr. Marx prepare the accompanying illustrations. The large 

 female was drawn from specimens collected by Mr. Townsend, near New 

 Orleans, La., and the variations were drawn from specimens in Dr. 

 Marx's own collection. 



DESCRIPTION OF LEONIA RILEYI, A NEW MELOID GENUS NEAR 



HORNIA. 



By Dr. Eugene Duges, Guanajuato, Mexico. 



Length, 11™"^; diameter, 3^^^™. Of a more or less dark ferruginous color and cov- 

 ered with stiff hair or black set?e. 



Labrum somewhat retracted, anteriorly depressed and slightly emarginate, laterally 

 nearly rounded, punctate, hairy, ferruginous ; mandibles conical, stout, curved, ap- 

 parently broken at tip, which is obtuse with traces of a rupture; maxilL-e with two 

 corneous lobes, the external one at tip of the shape of a rounded plate and ciliate, 



