244 F> E> CHIDESTKK. 



The Pcckhams ha\ r taken up in detail tin.- courtship of spiders, 

 and hold that 127) In the spiders, Darwin's theory of sexual 

 selection is upheld. 



Emerton (10) finds some variation in the ferocity of th female 

 spiders. He states that in Liuyphia and Tlicridioii, the male 

 and female live peaceably together in the same web and the 

 male is not attacked by the female during his approaches. 



In A galena the male s the stronger of the two. He takes the 

 female in his mandibles and lays her on one side and inserts one 

 of the palpi; then he turns her so that she lies on the other side 

 with the head in the opposite direction and inserts the other 

 palpus. The female lies as though dead. Emerton holds that 

 the method used in all of the spiders is for the male to discharge 

 the seminal liquor on a little web spun for the purpose, and to 

 dip the palpi in it; then he approaches the female and inserts 

 the palpal organs into her epigynum. One palpal organ at a 

 time is replaced by the other. Emerton believes that few males 

 are eaten by females. 



Montgomery has made most extensive studies of the mat ng 

 habits of spiders (23. 24). He holds that in recognition, touch 

 is the most important and sight is next in importance. He dis- 

 credits conscious sexual selection on the part of the female. 



Porter agrees with Montgomery in his statement that the 

 female chooses that male which "first and most surely announces 

 by his movements that he is a male." Porter found that in the 

 Ar^iope (30) the male waits unc 1 the female has moulted, and 

 then successfully mates with her. He found that in some cases 

 the male left the web after approaching the female who was not 

 ready to moult and finding her hostile. After the copulation the 

 f male wraps the male just as she does any prey, and 1 aves him 

 hanging in the web with her old skin. Frequently there are as 

 many as five male spiders on one web. 



Petrunkcvitch holds that sight is the only sense of sex recogni- 

 tion used in the hunting spiders. After sex has been recognized, 

 courtship begins and touch is the chid mran^ by which tin- male 

 excites the female and tests her willingness to accept him (29). 

 Petrunkevitch found that, in /tyv/crn, the male approached the 

 female whenever she br-.m to 



