2 

THE COMITY OF SPIDERS 

species inhabiting particular regions or environments. It is believed 

that a survey of our present knowledge of the geographical 

distribution of our spiders will be of value in exposing our weaknesses 

as well as our strength and, to ensure as complete a survey as possible, 

careful search has been made through almost the whole literature 

dealing with British spiders. This in itself must be my excuse for not 

providing a list of references. I am, however, particularly indebted to 

the writings of J. Blackwall, O. P. and F. O. P. Cambridge, G. H. 

Carpenter, W. Evans, A. R. Jackson, W. Falconer, J. E. Hull, F. P. 

Smith and D. Pack Beresford. Published records have been largely 

supplemented by my own collections in 57 counties, and by a number 

of manuscript lists of varying importance kindly placed at my 

disposal. These manuscript lists include the following: F. O. P. 

Cambridge (10 counties), W. Falconer (several counties), Warrington 

Museum collection (teste W. Falconer   several counties), British 

Museum collection (several counties), Rev. H. Bloom (teste O. P. 

Cambridge   8 counties), F. P. Smith (Middlesex), R. Hancock (teste 

F. P. Smith   Warwick, Worcester), Colonel Pickard (teste O. P. 

Cambridge   Argyll, Aberdeen), H. StJ. Donisthorpe (teste O. P. 

Cambridge and A. R. Jackson   Surrey), Miss G. V. Barnard (teste A. 

R. Jackson   Norfolk), G. H. Locket (teste A. R. Jackson   Herts, 

Middlesex, Northampton, Bedford, Kent, Cornwall), T. Savory (teste 

J. E. Hull  Wales), C. Morley (teste O. P. Cambridge and A. R. 

Jackson   Suffolk). I myself owe special thanks to Dr. A. R. Jackson 

for inestimable assistance continued over a period of twenty years, 

and to W. Falconer and D. Pack Beresford for the full lists of all their 

records, which they have kindly extracted from their notebooks. 

Counties may in certain respects be unsatisfactory units of area, but 

as a rough guide to geographical distribution they have their 

advantages. We all know the counties, and every map will show us in 

which county we are collecting. We are brought up to