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Show 324 REV. O. P. CAMBRIDGE ON SPIDERS [Apr. 20, may be described as of a deep rich black-brown colour, marked with four very large somewhat triangular patches of a bright silvery hue ; or, in those examples where the silvery areas preponderate, these areas may be taken as the ground-colour on which are very plainly and distinctly marked a broad, even-edged, longitudinal, deep-black-brown central band from the fore extremity of the upperside to the apex, another less broad from the apex to the spinners, and a third as nearly as possible bisects each side, running from the spinners into the band on the upperside; all these bands merge in the general black-brown hue of the underside of the abdomen. In front of the spinners (on the underside) are the two usual silvery spots in a transverse line. It is probable that a series of examples would show some slight imperfection in the continuity of these abdominal bands, though from the three examples examined (one male and two females) I should expect to find the abdominal pattern above described a tolerably constant and strong specific character. From the above three examples there does not appear to be very much, if any, difference in colours or pattern between the two sexes. A male and two females of this Spider were received several years ago from the Rev. J. Whitmee, by whom they were found in the Samoa Islands. ARGYRODES NEPHIL,E. (Plate XXVIII. figs. 4, 4 a, 4 b, e, 4 c, 4 d, 4fi) Argyrodes nephilee, Tacz. Hor. Soc. Ent. Ross. ix. p. 51. Adult male, length T 7 of an inch ; female rather larger. The cephalothorax of this brilliant little Spider is of a dark blackish brown ; that of the female is of ordinary form ; but that of the male has the caput considerably elevated and produced forwards, where it is divided into two lobes by a deep transverse cleft or fissure ; the inferior lobe is much the smallest. The exact form of this part of the caput is represented as nearly as possible in fig. 4, Plate XXVIII.; no lengthened description of this charateristic portion of structure would avail to distinguish it so accurately from other species nearly allied. \ The eyes of the fore central pair are the largest of the eight, and are placed in a transverse line on each side, at the fore extremity of the caput; behind these and lower down, at a little distance behind the base of the cleft, are the hind-central eyes, while at about the same distance lower down again, and almost in a line with the others on each side, are the lateral pairs, the eyes of each of which are contiguous to each other. The legs are long, but not excessively so, slender, furnished with hairs only, of a dull yellowish hue; the anterior portions of the femora and libise (of those of the female at least) suffused with dark brown. In the only adult male I have seen, the legs were uni-colorous. The abdomen is short, but elevated into a very high conical form, its height being distinctly greater than its length ; in some examples the height is greater than in others, and the apex of the cone sharper. It is cf a glistening silvery metallic hue; from the middle of the anterior |