Bairstow : Natural History Notes from South Africa. 143 



Mods. Eug. Simon, to whom I forwarded a small number of S. A. 

 ArachnidcB, remarks in the preface to his list — " All your spiders are of 

 great interest. A genus Colophon, recently described by Rev. 0. P. 

 Cambridge, is new to me, and another is new to science, and allied to 

 TJiemisoides of South America The scorpions are also good." 



That much sound work remains to be done in this most attractive 

 order, the following list, from an eminent naturalist who makes it his 

 study and delight, will certainly demonstrate. 1 give it verbatim after 

 M. Simon. 



SPIDERS. 



Golop?i07i Natalerisls, 0. P. Cambr. (one specimen) ; Nov. gen., allied 

 to Tkemisoides (two specimens); Lyiola pulea \ Neniga) Phlegra, sp. 

 ignota ; Drassis, sp. ig. ; Palfjunanus, 8p. ig. ; Misuitwna, sp. ig.; Tho- 

 mkiis, sp. ig. [pulla] ; Selenopn, sp,ig.\ Eresus Africanus, C. Koch, 

 female ; Lithjphantus, sp. ig. (f. sp.) 



SCORPIONS. 



Loimnra, sp. ig. ; Battsus, sp. ig., probably villosus, Peters. Litmus 

 lineatus, C. Koch. 



I have heard many travellers speak of dangers in South Africa. 

 Tigers, reptiles, &c., &c. I do not believe one word of it. Big game 

 is timid, wild animals flee at man's approach. Ticks are far stronger 

 foes. You cannot shoot, spear, crush them. You are powerless. 

 Walking or sitting, they inhabit your trousers. Sleeping they inhabit 

 your flesh. Collector, they infest your beetles and bees, they appro- 

 priate your shells. Botanist, touch not that flower ! Glorious Protea 

 periijolia, tempt him not so tantalizingly. Your fluffy beauty is dis- 

 torted with a myriad ticks. Your envelope contains a pandemonium 

 of insect horrors. If I pluck you from your native velot, your parasites 

 will suck my native blood and smear my native legs, and I can only 

 pomade them out after the damage is done — for remonstrance is in 

 7ain. 



This insect phlebotomizing is possibly designed to maintain the 

 balance of human strength. Dame Nature is more intimately ac- 

 quainted with aesculapian tactics than we are, and she has some motive 

 for designing blood-sucking qiiacks, to practise in tropical or sub- 

 tropical countries. Her human subjects are at liberty, notwithstanding, 

 to kick against the pricks when they are sharply pointed. I have 

 assigned to the Arachiida a very subordinate place in my list. Lovers 

 of the order may justifiably give it a more elevated footing. The 



