at the very furthermost end of one of its main supports; under cover
of a leaf or branch, or the corner of a building to which it may be
fastened, ready to dart down into its web, spread out like a net to
catch its prey. I t has the habit, especially when disturbed, of
.arranging its legs fore and aft, so as to assume a linear appearance.
Epeira, Walck.
E . s o l e r s ? Walck.—A prettily marked, yellowish-brown, outdoor
Spider, which is commonly found spinning a geometric web, of
considerable size, from leaf to leaf of the prickly-pear bushes,
especially in th'e neighbourhood of Maldivia and the low warm
land. I have also found it in houses in Jamestown. I f it be
F. solers (Walck), which js rather doubtful, it is* indigenous to
Great Britain; it occurs also in Bombay, Ceylon, and South-east
Africa, from any of which places it may have been introduced to
St. Helena through the agency of ships.
Argiope, Savig.
A . a u r e l i a , Savig.—-This is by far the largest Spider found in
the Island. I t is a large, striped, yellow, black and silver creature,
which inhabits the warm sheltered spots of medium altitude
(from 300 to 1500 feet above the sea). I t is quite an outdoor
insect, and spreads its large, strong, geometric web across the tops
of the coarse grass, called guinea-grass, and from leaf to leaf of the
common prickjy-pear bushes. One web generally contains a colony
of some nine or ten inmates, in addition to several huge egg bags,
including two or three smaller Argiopes, and six or seven Argyrodes■
epeira. A good supply of captured moths hung up at one comer
of the web completes the establishment, and all seem to live
peaceably together. I t is one of the most abundant spiders in the
Island, particularly in the upper part of James’ valley. I t is not
easily alarmed, and it requires a considerable amount of interference
to cause the big fellow at the head of the colony to vacate the
centre of the web. I t is also found in Egypt.
Fam. Uloboridee.
Uloborus, Latr.
IT. w i l l i am s i i , B l. ( Orithyia vnlliamsii, B l . )— A small, l ig h t -
coloured, mottled Spider, with legs banded across with black and
white, found hanging to the ceiling or roofing beams of outofiices,
warehouses, and cellars in Jamestown, where it spins a very neat, fine,'
and pretty, geometric web, about 12 inches in diameter. The egg-
bag is flat, septilateral, and of a light purple hue.
Fam. Ihomisida.
Xysticus, C. Koch.
X. grammicus, C. Koch.—A light-brown Spider, found on
shrubs in flower-gardens at an altitude of 2000 feet above the sea,
and also on the cabbage-trees on the ridge behind West Lodge. I t
is not unlike a crab in its appearance and movements. Its four front
legs are long and of the same colour as the body, and the four hind
legs are very short and of a different colour, being almost white..
I t is not common in the Island, and does not spin a geometric web,
but constructs a house, or nest, by binding together with a very,
fine silky web two or three green leaves ; the edges of the leaves
are firmly bound together, leaving an opening at each end, to serve,
as a back as well as a front entrance. Small moths appear to constitute
the chief food of this insect. The male is much smaller and
darker coloured than the female. I t is also found in Europe.
Philodromus, Walck.
*P. signatus, Cambr.—This is a native Spider, and, like most of
the others, is rare. I obtained females only of it, and caught a
specimen running across the dining-room table at The Hermitage, on
the high land. I t is a small speckled white and brown spider, and.
is described and figured “ Proceed. Zool. Soc.,” Nov. 1869. *
Heteropoda, Latr.
*H. (Olios) tridentigera, Cambr.—A medium-sized, chocolate-
coloured, hairy-legged house-spider, frequently seen crawling about
floors and walls of rooms during the evenings in warm situations.
I t is a native, and is described and figured I Proceed. Zool. Soc.,”
Nov. 1869.