Mr. Westwood on the Arachnida, 233 



** gane fecondateur de chacune de ses parties sexuelles, mais si legdre- 

 •*' ment, et d'une maniere si instantanee qu'il n'y a presque qu'un simple 

 " contact. La position respective qu'ont alors les deux indiyidus, varie 

 " selon les genres." 



During the autumn of 1827, I one day observed, in the comer of an 

 outbuilding, at Chelsea, the somewhat uncommon occurrence of two 

 small sized spiders, near to each other, in the same web, and my atten- 

 tion being thereby attracted, I was induced to attend to their motions. The 

 web was formed about two feet from the ground, and placed horizontally 

 from wall to wall. The two spiders were standing on the under surface 

 of the web, about the centre, consequently their backs were towards the 

 ground, and I was the better enabled to notice every circumstance con- 

 nected with the impregnation of the female which I anticipated would 

 take place. On slightly disturbing the web, they both retreated to a 

 «hort distance ; in a short time, however, the slenderer insect, and which 

 I correctly judged was the male, grew bolder, and again returned, step 

 by step, stopping between each movement, during which time it extended 

 its clavate palpi, which were then considerably agitated. On approach- 

 ing his companion, the latter slightly moved towards the male, which 

 continued carefully feeling about with his long legs until they at length 

 came in contact with those of the female, his feelers then becoming more 

 intensely agitated. From their position on the web I was then enabled to 

 see that the female lifted her fore-feet from the web, and that the male 

 was thereby enabled to creep between her intermediate pairs of legs, and 

 underneath her body, until his head reached as far as the under side of 

 the basal part of the thorax of the female, which, together with her 

 head, were consequently hidden from my view, from above, by his head 

 and thorax. The palpi of the male were then extended, and a drop of 

 clear hquid ejected from the tip of each club, where it remained attached, 

 the tips themselves immediately coming in contact with a transverse fleshy 

 kind of teat or tubercle protruded by the female from the base of the 

 trader side of the abdomen. 



After watching them in this position for several minutes, and the fe- 

 male not exhibiting any signs of anger, nor the male attempting to retreat, 

 I left the outhouse ; but having occasion to return about half an hour 

 ;afterwards, I was greatly surprized to find that they still remained in pre* 



Vol. IV. Q 



