NOTES ON THE ARACHNIDA OF EPPING FOREST.
315
Britain, is one of the most beautiful among the many remarkable
forms of micro-fungi growing on old dung. It was found by Mr.
E. S. Salmon.
At the next Fungus Foray of the Club it is intended to
make an exhibit of drawings of some Essex Micro-Fungi.
FURTHER CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS THE
KNOWLEDGE OF THE ARACHNIDA OF
EPPING FOREST.
By F. O. PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE, B.A.
A first contribution towards the knowledge of the Arachnida
(Spiders, "Harvestmen," "False-scorpions" and Mites) of Epping
Forest was published in the Trans. Essex Field Club in 1883
(vol. iv., pp. 41—49), by my uncle, the Rev. O. Pickard-Cam-
bridge. There has not, to my knowledge, been any serious
collecting done in the Forest itself, or even in the County of
Essex, since that time, except by myself in the Dunmow district
in 1889.
This year, however, through the zealous energy of Mr.
William Cole, the subject was again brought to the attention of
Members of the Field Club, and on the occasion of the Annual
Fungus-Foray a definite effort was made to increase the know-
ledge of this group already gained and to add to the published list
of species.
Although the Foray was held rather late in the season for
arachnological research (for the majority of spiders have by that
time retired into winter quarters), still a very encouraging addition
was made to the list, chiefly through the efforts of Mr. F. P.
Smith, whose articles on British Spiders now appearing in
Science Gossip will, it is hoped, arouse some interest in the
subject amongst Field Naturalists in general.
Altogether, on the occasion of the Fungus-Foray on October
6th, 1900, 42 species of spiders, including one "Harvestman,"
were added to the previous list which accounted for 57 species
of spiders, 3 "Harvestmen," 3 "False-scorpions," and 4 Mites.
Amongst those added were a few of the largest and most
interesting of British spiders—Amaurobius ferox, for instance, a