216 
ST. HELENA. 
Fam. Sphasida. 
Pasithea, .Black \v\ 
_ P - P^lchra, Bl. — This extremely handsome, large, green garden- 
Spider, with yellow and red markings, inhabits the low warm parts 
of the Island, where it spins its web across the topmost branches of 
geraniums and other leafy garden shrubs, the green leaves of which, 
corresponding with its own colour, serve to conceal it from view. 
It is not very abundant, and I took it principally at Maldivia 
Gardens and at Ladder Hill, but could only succeed in obtaining 
females, although I made special search for more than a year to find 
specimens of the other sex. In capturing this spider, I could not 
fail to be greatly struck with the extreme care it has for its egg- 
bag, or nest. It rushes to it immediately on being alarmed, and 
holds it with such tenacity as not again to relinquish it; and’ even 
alter a specimen has been killed it will sometimes be found with 
the nest still in its grasp. An extremely beautiful figure of this 
spider is given by Mr. Cambridge in “Proceed. Zool. Soc.,” Nov. 
1869, pi. xlii. f. 7. This spider was first described from examples 
received from the east of Central Africa. 
Fam. Lycosidce. 
Lycosa, Latr. 
*!'• (Trochosa) dolosa, Cambr.— Walking amongst the ferns 
and native vegetation on the high mountain ridge, in the neigh- 
bourhood of Diana’s Peak, one cannot help observing the ground 
and the hard clay banks, abundantly pierced by circular holes about 
a quarter or three-quarters of an inch in diameter. On digging into 
these holes they are found to be most carefully bored into the^earth 
to a depth of six or eight inches, and to terminate in a chamber 
excavated to about the size of a walnut ; and in this chamber is 
found the large brown spider, with its young family, for the recep- 
tion of which it appears to have constructed such a peculiar habita- 
tion. A slight silky web secures the earth from falling into the 
hole m some cases, but does not penetrate to the chamber with the 
young spiders, which is simply excavated in the damp earth, or 
clay. One of these habitations was found to contain the adult 
spider with about forty young ones, each nearly one-third full 
grown, and much in the position of a hen with chickens. The 
