becomes a more important transaction in its life,-it is a condition of growth, and is obliged to be repeated with constant regularity to admit of the enlargement of the animal. When the larva first breaks the egg-case, it is confined within a skin that encloses every part, each small cilia is bent, and every large one retracted within itself, like the draw-tubes of a telescope; this skin it shakes off within a few hours, or perhaps less. A few days and the process is again repeated, and probably, at intervals of about the same or a constantly increasing duration, is continued for some months. I say probably, because no effort has yet succeeded in keeping the larva through the earlier stages of its existence. The changes with each exuviation are very inconsiderable, but a certain amount takes place at every stage, and the animal loses the eccentric form of its youth and gradually acquires that of the parent crab. It is after it has arrived at the matured form that observers have been most successful in seeing the flaying process voluntarily carried on.

Réaumur was the first man who told us how it was done; he saw a river crayfish (Astacus fluviatilis), the ecrevisse of the French, struggle itself out of its skin. There is a charm about being the first to observe a fact; it is like starting in the race before one follows, and, starting first, keeps all others in the same line behind. Since Réaumur watched the crayfish, others have done the same as opportunity has occurred, and told us how the crab, the lobster, the shrimp, and the lower forms of Crustacea, free themselves from their coats. Couch, Gosse, Sir John Dalyell and Dr. James Salter have each written upon the subject, and I have watched them also. Vide An. Nat. Hist. 1849.

(To be continued.)

Notes on Spiders captured in 1860.

By the Rev. O. P.-CAMBRIDGE.

An excess of moisture seems to be less prejudicial to spider-life than an excess of drought; and again, moisture is less hurtful to spiders than to insects in general; and so, while last season was so barren a one to entomologists, I have but little reason to be dissatisfied with the results of my researches in Arachnology, having captured and observed fifty-four species that I had not seen before, besides discovering both sexes of several others of which only one sex had hitherto been discovered.

VOL. XIX.

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I have also several species yet under examination, which I believe will prove to be new to Science: of the fifty-four species mentioned ten are new to Science and eleven new to Britain, but known and described by continental arachnologists.

Although, however, I had such good reason to be satisfied with my success, that success was, I think, chiefly owing to the study of British spiders being even yet in its infancy, for I scarcely ever gave up an hour for a search, either in woodland or on the heath, that I did not turn up either something new or some species the knowledge of which hitherto rested on a solitary specimen or so; and I think this will be the case for some time, more especially in those parts of the kingdom yet unsearched. Little or nothing is yet known of Scotch spiders, and while Mr. Blackwall's beautiful work on British and Irish spiders (now being published by the Ray Society) is yet unfinished, it would add much to the completeness of the work if more could be ascertained relative to the Scotch species.

I should be glad myself to enter into correspondence with any Scotch entomologist on the subject of Arachnology, and to exchange English Lepidoptera, or spiders, for spiders captured north of Berwickupon-Tweed. I shall also be most glad to name, as far as my knowledge of species will permit, any specimens either of English, Scotch or Irish spiders sent me by post for examination.

Spiders may be safely sent by post, placed in corked glass tubes, with a little spirit in each tube, the tubes being packed with wadding in a moderately strong wooden entomological post-box, or else in a tin wax vesta box. In hot weather the tubes should not have much spirit in them, as the expansion of it is apt to drive out the cork, or else more frequently to burst out the bottom of the tube. A good way to send a single tube is to cut a large wine cork in two lengthwise, and in the two halves to hollow out just sufficient to receive the tube without pressing upon it; the two parts being then tied together, with the tube inside, may be sent in an envelope, with or without a little wadding to steady it, to any part of the world, without damage: one tube will hold a number of specimens of small species, but a larger piece of cork, with two, three or more separate hollowings-out, might easily be made to transmit a large number of specimens, and this would be much lighter than a tin box and less liable to fracture than a wooden one.

I have now and at other times called special attention to the success I have hitherto met with, in hopes of inciting others to enter the field of Arachnology; but the question invariably asked me by those who

write on the strength of promises of assistance is, "What work is there from which we may obtain the names of our captures, &c. ?" I can now point to the work by Mr. Blackwall mentioned above as worthy of all commendation, both for the beauty of the plates (especially the minute accuracy of the palpi) and the accuracy of the descriptions; so that one great hindrance to the study is now in course of removal.

The early part of last season (April and May, 1860) promised to be unusually prolific in spiders; but the heavy rains and cold ungenial weather that set in early in June thinned the summer broods, and some species usually very abundant were quite scarce. The autumn was very barren in adults, and whole broods of young must have been destroyed by the continued rain and wind at the end of October, and as the progenitors of the next season's broods spring from those that hybernate and become adult early in the spring and summer, I think we may expect the next season to be a very barren one, whatever the weather may be, though if the early summer be fine and genial the autumn broods will probably regain their usual numbers.

The following list of my last year's captures may be considered as a further supplement to the lists in the 'Zoologist' (Zool. 6493, 6862). I have, though, noticed here afresh some few species already noticed in those lists; but where this is the case I have inserted a reference to the former notice.

The terms "common," "rare," &c., are used in the present list, as nearly as practicable, in the sense explained (Zool. 6893). All the species mentioned in the present list were captured by myself, except where stated otherwise.

Order ARANeidea.

Tribe OCTONOCULINA.- Family MYGALIDE.

Atypus Sulzeri, Latreille (see Zool. .6494). An immature female, taken from the bottom of its silken tube, dug out of the ground, in the Isle of Portland, in July, 1860.

Family LYCOSIDÆ.

Lycosa armillata, Walck. New to Britain. An adult male of this species taken running in the sunshine on Hursley Down, near Winchester, in May, 1860. It is allied to L. rapax, but easily distinguished by the gouty tibial joints of the first pair of legs, and it is much more clearly and distinctly marked, the contrast between the jet-black and pure white hairs on the cephalothorax and abdomen being very

remarkable.

L. herbigrada, Blackw. (see Zool. 6495). Females of this very distinctly marked species had been taken before, but no males; in May and June, 1860, however, I found both sexes, adult, very common, but local, on heaths at Lyndhurst, Hants, and Bloxworth, Dorset. This species seems peculiar to heaths in the South of England, and rather local there; the ashy gray ground colour of it admirably adapts it to the spots where it delights to bask in the bright sunshine. It is a very active species, and captures its prey, small beetles especially, by fairly coursing them down. This is also the case with L. picta and L. andrenivora, which last in turn courses down L. herbigrada: I have seen several very exciting and amusing chases of the kind; L. herbigrada though generally manages, I suspect, to get away, owing to its great speed, unless caught at a meuse or surprised unawares, and if so, L. andrenivora being so far superior in size, the issue of the fight is not long doubtful. As far as my observations go, I do not think any Lycosa jumps on its prey, like the Salticidæ, but always seizes it in fair plain running, whether the prey is either running or stationary.

L. latitans, Blackw. Frequent in sloppy marshes near Bloxworth, Dorset. I have also found a few solitary specimens among damp moss on the lawn at Bloxworth Rectory, far removed from marshy ground. This well bears out Mr. Blackwall's observation (History of British Spiders,' p. 34)," that it connects the purely terrestrial with the semi-aquatic Lycosæ;" it is adult in June.

L. piscatoria, Koch. Frequent in sloppy marshes, in company with L. latitans, and adult at the same time.

Dolomedes ornatus Blackw. (see Zool. 6495). Frequent, in May, 1860, on rushes and grass in bogs on Lyndhurst Heath, but none adult. I have a suspicion (shared in by Mr. Meade), that this will eventually prove to be only the immature state of D. fimbriatus.

Hecäerge spinimana, Sundevul. Not rare, Hursley and Bloxworth, among weeds and rubbish in hedges, and at the roots of heath; throughout the year.

Family SALTICidă.

Salticus sparsus, Blackw. (Zool. 6495). Adults of both sexes, not rare, on walls of Red House, Hursley, end of May, 1860.

S. quinquepartitus, Walck. New as British. An adult male taken on Bloxworth Heath by myself, in July, 1860; and one received shortly after from Bournemouth, Hants, taken by O. H. Crewe, Esq.

S. grossipes, Degeer.

New as British.

An adult male on rushes

in a bog near Lyndhurst, Hants, in May, 1860.

S. nidicolens, Walck. New as British. An immature female of this distinctly marked species on Bloxworth Heath, in September, 1860.

S. obscurus, Blackw. Adults of both sexes frequent on trees and bushes in woods at Lyndhurst and Bloxworth, throughout the summer of 1860; a single specimen of the male only hitherto known.

S. tardigradus, Walck. An adult female received for examination from Mr. W. C. Unwin, of Lewes, Sussex, in January, 1860, and an immature female taken by myself in a cleft of a wood paling at Calke Abbey, near Derby, in April, 1860.

S. distinctus, Blackw. Immature males and females taken under loose stones in garden wall at Hendre House, Llanrwst, in April.

Family THOMISIDÆ.

Thomisus clavatus, Latreille (Zool. 6863). Frequent, under detached pieces of rock in the Isle of Portland, July, 1860. Principally adult females with their egg-cocoons, each of which contained from five to seven eggs not agglutinated together. Like many other spiders the attachment of this species to its cocoon is very remarkable, though not perhaps so strong as with many of the Lycosidæ.

T. lanio, Koch. New as British. Males and females, adult, occasional, on oak underwood, near Lyndhurst, end of May, 1860.

T. pallidus, Blackw. An adult female on Lyndhurst Heath, under dry cowdung, in 1858. Hitherto mistaken, both by Mr. Meade and myself, for T. atomarius, the notice concerning which must therefore be struck out from Zool. 6493. An adult male, and several immature females, at Bloxworth in October, 1860. The adult male had been hitherto undiscovered.

T. floricolens, Walck. An adult male and several immature females, on Scotch firs, Lyndhurst, May, 1860; also immature females, occasional, on underwood, Bloxworth, July, 1860.

Males and females,

Philodromus dispar, Walck. (Zool. 6496). adult and immature, at Hursley, Lyndhurst and Bloxworth, throughout the summer. It appears to arrive at the adult state in June and July, and is frequent on trees and bushes.

Sparassus smaragdulus, Walck. (Zool. 6497). I have never yet succeeded in capturing an adult male of this beautiful species, but males and females immature are occasional, on underwood, Bloxworth, in autumn.