310 
HORN EXPEDITION—ARANEIDiE. 
The numbers of the two latter may be attectecl by their large size attracting 
attention to them, but they seem at any rate to have constituted a prominent 
feature in the district passed over by the Expedition. 
Many of the species are described from single specimens only, and the short¬ 
ness of the time at the disposal of the collectors makes it doubtful how far what 
has come down can be taken as truly representative of the fauna. In addition 
to this Professor Spencer informs me that it was often very difficult to prevent 
the spiders captured from being broken up during the rough carriage on camel- 
back before they could be safely packed up and thus many were lost. 
Had I been classifying afresh the spiders of Australia I should have followed 
more closely the later sub-divisions of Dr. Thorell, whose keen perception of the 
value of systematic diffierences cannot, in my opinion, be too closely followed. 
However, the labours of Dr. L. Koch and Graf E. von Keyserling* have constituted 
their important work beyond (piestion the authority on spiders of this continent, 
and as it must continue to be for many years the main standard of reference, I 
feel that I might be only creating confusion among students of our fauna by 
translating their classification into the more recently elaborated systems so ably 
collated by Dr. Thorell in his latest work just issued from the press.f 
It was at first intended that the collection now described should have been 
dealt with by myself in conjunction with Mr. C. Frost, but owing to pressure of 
other work Mr. Frost unfortunately felt himself unable to undertake the work. 
He has, however, been kind enough to devote a considerable amount of time to my 
assistance. I am much indebted to him for valuable suggestions, and his know¬ 
ledge and experience of the order upon the study of which he has been engaged for 
many years have been a great assistance to me in identifying many of the speci¬ 
mens. My best thanks are also due to Professor Spencer for his ever ready 
guidance and advice, as well as for the opportunity afforded me of studying this 
important collection, which, in addition to those secured during the Expedition, 
includes others obtained by Professor Spencer during a subsequent visit to 
Charlotte Waters. 
* Die Araehiiidcn Australiens, part i, 1S71. Appendix, 1884-1889. 
t Descriptive Catalogue of the Spiders of Burinah preserved in the British Museum, London, 1895. 
