12 



E. pyramidata % has, says Menge, seven, that of E. marmorea six 

 teeth. I have now examined 6 specimens, three of each form; on 

 one only, and that an E. marmorea, have I found seven teeth; in 

 the other 5 there were eight teeth, and in some instance distinct 

 rudiments of a ninth ')• As regards the tarsal claws, the inferior 

 claw of E. pyramidata has, according to Menge, one tooth, while 

 that of E. marmorea has none; hut in all the specimens of both 

 species that I have examined, that claw had two teeth (like every 

 other species, that I know of, of the genus Epeira). In E. pyra- 

 midata, according to Menge, there are in front of that claw two ac- 

 cessory claivs ("serrated bristles": Menge), in E. marmorea only one. 

 I have on the contrary always found the accessory claws in pairs , and 

 accordingly at least two in number in all the species of the genus 

 Epeira that I have examined. The teeth of the superior tarsal claws 

 are, according to Menge, in both forms six in number. In E. 

 pyramidata I have usually found the number to be eight, in E. 

 marmorea generally six, but sometimes more, in one case ten on 

 the inner and eight on the outer claw — all on the 1 st pair (in ?). 

 On the succeeding pairs the number of teeth is usually somewhat 

 less than on the first. All this proves, that the numbers given by 

 Menge, in the cases where they have been rightly observed, cannot 

 be considered as absolute, but are in reality variable within pretty 

 considerable limits. The same is most probably the case with re- 

 gard to the difference in the number and arrangement of the spin- 

 ning-tubes on the spinners of E. pyramidata and E. marmorea. I 

 have at least not been able to convince myself that any such dif- 

 ference really exists; for I have e. g. in an E. pyramidata, which, 

 according to Menge, should have about 60 spinning-tubes on the 

 anterior spinners, reckoned many more, near 100, which number, 

 according to Menge, belongs to E. marmorea. I must however ac- 

 knowledge that I have not been able to determine with certainty 

 the number of spinning-tubes on the different spinners; they are in 

 all, according to Menge, "about 874" in E. pyramidata, and "about 

 816" in E. marmorea: but numbers so great as these appear to me 

 to be in themselves evidence that the number of these tubes is not 



1) In a previous examination I had found the number of teeth on the palpal 

 claw of both forms to vary between eight and ten , that of the superior tarsal claws 

 between seven and nine, the latter number generally on the 1 st pair, the former 

 on the succeeding pairs. (Thoe., Om Ep. marm. o. pyr. , p. 244). 



