406 Zoological Society ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. June 24, 1856.— Dr. Gray, F.R.S., in the Chair. Description of Mygale Emilia, a Spider from Panama, HITHERTO APPARENTLY UNRECORDED. By AdAM WhITE, Assistant in the Zoological Department, Brit. Mus. The large Spiders of the New World, though generally sombre in hue, are occasionally varied in colour. The Mygale versicolo?' de-scribed by Baron Walckenaer (Apt. i. 211), has the cephalothorax covered with down-like hairs of a metallic green lustre, and some of the hairs of the body have in certain aspects a violet reflection. The Mygale rosea described by the same author from the collection of M. Guerin-Meneville, who procured it from Chili, is deserving of its specific name. The Mygale Zebra, figured in the fourth volume of the 'Annales de la Soc. Entomologique,' pi. 19, has the abdomen strikingly striped. Generally speaking, however, these large My gales, whether from the Old or the New World, are rough, plain brown, or black creatures, with greyish scattered hairs. Since Walckenaer' s work was published in 1837, several species have been added to zoo-logical science, especially ia the German work of Koch. The fol-lowing species, pre-eminent for its striking beauty of colour, was obtained by my friend Dr. Berthold Seemann, the distinguished na-turalist who succeeded Mr. Edmonstone on board H.M.S. Herald under Capt. Kellett, R.N., C.B. I have but once seen a Mygale alive; the specimen was sent to the late Mr. John Doubleday by post, and when it reached London was evidently much shaken by its transit from Liverpool. The day after its arrival he gave it cockroaches. They were put into the small box along with the Mygale. It apparently at first did not see them, but on these " Cursorial Orthoptera '* running about MygaWs legs, the great spider drew itself up, and darted its chelicera into one of them, tearing its intestines with its fearfully armed hook. The Blatta was soon devoured, and the spider, evidently an invalid after its rough journey, died next day. Mr. H. W. Bates, who has for the last eight years so successfully collected Annulosa, and observed their habits at various points on the Amazon, in a letter to me, dated ** Santarem, 30 April, 1855," written on the eve of starting for *' the wonderful country of the Upper Amazons," remarks : — " With regard to spiders, I have ob-served many curious points in their habits, but I cannot communi-cate them until I can send specimens, with numbers attached, to which the notes can be referred. There is one observation I made, however, which I am sure will be of the highest interest to science. It is with respect to the habit of the My gales to prey on birds. Now I have detected them in the fact as far back as 1849, but thought little of it at the time, as I had the idea that it was a well-known and undisputed fact in science. Lately, however, I read an account (I think of Langsdorffs expedition in the interior of Brazil), where
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