LOVE DANCES OF SALTIGRADES. 



59 



Position 

 of Male 

 when 

 Mating. 



Fifth, the first legs are extended directly forward, close to the ground, 

 the legs being slightly curved, with the tips turned up (Dendryphantes 

 capitans), or again he lies down on one side with the legs well extended. 

 Sixth, the fore legs are elevated high above the head and curved towards 

 each other, while the body is sustained upon the remaining feet during 

 the saltigrade movement (Philreus militaris), or again the fore legs are 

 extended and the abdomen turned up. (Habrocestum splendens.) 



Seventh, the spider maintains a rampant attitude, something like the 

 position last mentioned, with the fore feet raised high and curved forward, 

 instead of toward each other. (Astia vittata.) 



These are the most characteristic positions, and they are maintained 

 during the courtship dance with more or less persistence, according to the 

 various species. The position after the consummation of the 

 wooing is much the same in all species. In mating, the male 

 usually crawls over the female, or the female crawls under the 

 male, and the palps are applied to the vulva while in this atti- 

 tude. An exception was observed in two species, where the male 

 jumjjed ujjon his partner from a distance of one or two inches, the ap- 

 proach being per saltem, instead of by the gradual crawling movement 

 above indicated. 



For the most part the female ajjpeared to be complaisant or, at the 



furthest, indifferent. She maintained herself in a position to 



Afff A wa^tch the antics of her lover and to be influenced by them. 



Sometimes she ran away and avoided the advances of her suitor, 



but showed no disposition to attack or annoy him. 



At least one exception, however, to this general comjjlaisance was ob- 

 served in the case of Phidippus rufus, who is a ferocious creature, having 

 a great advantage in size over her partner. It happened to one 

 A Pero- assiduous male that in an unguarded moment he was pounced 

 upon and eaten up by the lady whom he was wooing. Another 

 species of Phidipiws showed the same ferocity. This is our 

 large black Phidippus morsitans, a creature not in good repute in certain 

 parts of the country, it being regarded as one of our poisonous species.^ 

 The single female which the Peckhams caught during the summer was a 

 savage monster. The two males provided for her liad offered her only the 

 merest civilities when she leaped upon them and killed them. 



The male of this species has the first pair of legs much longer than the 

 corresponding legs of the female, and also it is thickly adorned 

 with white hairs, some of which are long and others short and 

 scale like. It was while one of the males was waving these 

 handsome legs over his head that he was seized by his mate and 

 devoured. This love signal was evidently not sufficiently attractive to win 



Clous 

 Female 



Vain 

 Love 

 Signals 



' ^'ol. L, jjage 276. A letter just received from Prof. Peckham denies this aceusation. 



