70 
Journal of the 
the Ann ales des Sciences Naturelles, 1834. He found many small 
eggs sprinkled over stones in shady places, like so many tiny white 
points, and on examining them with a magnifying glass, he dis¬ 
covered that each resembled a round cupola of a chalky consistence, 
and that they were shut by a coverlid which was conical in shape, 
and ornamented with radiating grooves, like the marks on a 
parasol. When the egg was broken, a red pulp came forth, but 
when it was allowed to hatch, a small spider partly lifted off the 
lid with its back, and entered the world. The newly-born creature 
was red, and was a larva ; it had six legs only, and crawled slowly, 
and did not increase in size. Dug^s noticed that, after a while, 
the larva seeks some crack in the ground near by, and becomes 
motionless. Then its skin comes off and forms a transparent 
shelter for the nymph or pupa, just as is the case in many insects. 
During the nymph condition, the second metamorphosis takes 
place, and after the lapse of a few days, an eight-legged spider 
bursts forth. The little Rapliignathus is not much larger in the 
adult than in the larval condition, but its long legs enable it to 
move rapidly. It has an oval-shaped body, with a projecting head, 
or rather mouth, which looks like the head. There is a small eye 
of a dark-red colour on either side of the front of the body. The 
spider lives upon the elder trees, and sucks their sap.” 
The species before us is probably a Raphignathus , judging from 
the close similarity of the eggs to those described above, but I 
have not been able to make out the generic characters, and the 
young mites, when hatched, all congregated on the topmost part 
of the stone, and died without undergoing further development. 
The eggs have not a chalky consistence, as may be ascertained by 
pressing one with a needle, when it will be found that the shell is 
flexible. When the mite has been hatched, the interior of the 
shell appears precisely like a smooth basin, with a porcelain-like 
gloss. The eggs adhere so firmly to the stone, that it is difficult 
to remove them without breakage. 
Atraetobolus , described by Tode as a genus of Nidulariacei 
(Gasteromycetous Fungi), is said to be the egg of one of these mites. 
Respecting it, Berkeley has the following : — “ Atraetobolus (Tode) 
is nothing more than the eggs of a species of Raphignathus , unless 
Fries has something answering to Tode’s artificial character. 
