teeth on the inner surface, and slightly inclined towards the sternum, which is broad and
heart-shaped; the maxillae are robust, straight, and have the exterior angle, at the extremity,
curvilinear; the lip is semicircular and prominent at the apex. These parts are of a dark-
brown colour, the falces and lip being the darkest. The eyes are seated on black spots; the
four intermediate ones form a trapezoid whose anterior side is the shortest, and the two
anterior eyes of the trapezoid are the smallest of the eight. The legs are slender, provided
with hairs and erect spines, and of a yellowish-brown colour tinged with green; each tarsus
is terminated by three claws; the two superior ones are curved and pectinated, and the
inferior one is inflected near its base. The palpi are of a yellowish-brown hue, and have a
slightly curved claw at their extremity. The abdomen is oviform, thinly clothed with hairs,
glossy, very convex above, projecting over the base of the cephalo-thorax; a broad, dentated,
brown band, which is darkest at its posterior extremity, extends along the middle of the
upper part, nearly to the spinners, and on each side of this band there is an irregular white
one; these white bands unite immediately above the spinners, and a short, brown streak is
directed upwards from each side of the anus; the sides are of a brown colour obscurely
mottled with yellowish spots, and are marked with two yellowish lines on the lower part, the
anterior one being horizontal, and the posterior one nearly vertical; the under part is of a
brown hue, a large space in the middle having a tinge of yellow; the sexual organs, which
are of a very dark-brown colour, approaching to black, have a minute process in connexion
with their inferior margin; and the branchial opercula have a brown tint.
The male is smaller and slenderer than the female, but resembles her in the design
formed by the colours of its abdomen. Its cephalo-thorax, falces, maxillae, lip, and sternum,
have a tinge of red, and its legs are without the green tint perceptible on those of the other
sex. The radial joint of the palpi is much stronger than the cubital, a long, slender bristle
projecting from each, near its extremity, in front; the digital joint is oval, of a very dark-
brown hue, convex and hairy externally, concave within, comprising the palpal organs, which
are prominent, highly developed, complicated in structure, with a corneous, pointed spine,
directed from the inner side obliquely downwards, and a delicate, prominent membrane at
the extremity; their colour is very dark reddish-brown.
In the months of May and June this spider spins a web of moderate extent among
bushes in woods and coppices in North Wales and Lancashire, where it is not uncommon.
An immature female of this species, taken in Berwickshire, was received from Mr. J. Hardy
in December, 1848, who has since captured adult specimens of both sexes in the same
county.
Linyphia minuta. PI. XV, fig. 144.
Linyphia minuta, Blackw., Lond. and Edinb. Phil. Mag., third series, vol. iii, p. 191.
— Blackw., Research, in Zool., p. 384.
— Blackw., Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist., second series, vol. ix,
p. 15.
— domestica, Wider, Museum Senckenb., Band i, p. 265, taf. 18, fig. 1.
— Walck., Hist. Nat. des Insect. Apt., tom. ii, p. 255.
The legs are slender, provided with hairs and erect spines, and of a reddish-brown hue,
with black annuli; each tarsusffs terminated by three claws; the two-superior ones are
curved and minutely pectinated, and the inferior one is inflected near its base. The palpi
resemble the legs in- colour, and have a slightly pectinated, curved-claw-at their extremity.
The cephalo-thorax is convex, glossy, compressed and rather prominent before, rounded on
the sides, with an indentation in the medial line, and has a dark-brown tint. The falces are
strong, conical, vertical, and armed with teeth on the inner surface; the maxillae are straight,
and nearly quadrate, having the exterior angle, at the extremity, curvilinear; and the lip is
semicircular and prominent at the apex. These organs have a dark red-brown colour. The
sternum is;, heart-shaped, and of a very ;dark-hr9wn hue, approaching to black. The four
intermediate eyes form a trapezoid whose anterior side, is .the shortest, and those of each lateral
pair are seated obliquely on a tubercle,-and are .contiguous; the two posterior eyes of the
trapezoid are the largest, and the two anterior ones the.smallest of the eight. The abdomen
is oviform, glossy, thinly, clothed with hairs, cqnvex above,, projecting over the base of the
cephalo-thorax; the upper part is of a pale-brown, colour,, minutely spotted with yellowish-
white"; along the middle there extends a series of.strongly marked, brownish-black, angular
lines, having their vertices, directed forwards, and a, little above , the-.spinners there is an
irregular, transverse, curved, yellowish-white line..; -the; sides and under , part are of a
brownish-black hue, the former being marked,.with a slightly curved, yellowish-white line,
which extends from the anterior part rather more; than half-way towards the spinners; the
sexual organs are prominent, a flesh-coloured process connected with their anterior margin
heino- enlarged at its extremity and directed backwards; and the colour of the branchial
opercula is yellowish-white. -
The sexes do not present any very remarkable differences in colour, but the male is
smaller and slenderer than the female. The cubital and radial joints of its palpi are short, a
strong bristle projecting from a small prominence situated at the extremity of the former, in
front; the digital joint is somewhat oval, having two conical processes near its articulation
with the radial joint; it is convex and hairy externally, concave within, comprising the palpal
organs, which are highly developed, prominent, complex with spine-like processes, and are of
a red-brown colour. The convex sides of the digital joints are directed towards each other.
The interior of buildings, shrubs trained against walls, crevices in the bark of old trees,
and lichens growing upon their trunks and branches are the haunts frequented by this
common spider, which is widely distributed in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. In
September the female constructs several subglobose cocoons of white silk of a slight texture,
the largest of which measures about one fifth of an inch in diameter, and contains from thirty
to forty spherical eggs of a yellowish-white colour. The cocoons are generally attached to
objects situated near the snare.