WOOING AND MATING. 



19 



at this period occasionally occupying separate webs, but more frequently 

 domesticated upon the orb of the female, upon which several will be found 



congregated. For exami)le, in a clump of grasses I found the 



The ^yg|^ q£ g^1J^ ap2:)arently mature female, to whom three males were 



„ . paying attention. Two of the males were established upon the 



Qpg outer margins of the female's snare, upon small rudimentary 



webs. The third had built a separate snare immediately behind 



the female. There he hung in the usual position at the hub, which was 



covered with light straggling lines, a kind of imitation of the ordinary 



shield. Above and below were two 



faint, irregularly formed ribbons, mere 



suggestions of the beautiful ribbon 



spun by the female. This snare had 



about twenty-one radii and twelve or 



thirteen spirals beaded apparently in 



the ordinary way. The web was about 



four inches' in length and about two 



inches wide. 



On the same day several males 



were found on separate webs. These 



webs are ordinarily quite ru- 

 Snare of t , t ,, 



Male Ar- <^^i"ientary. In one the upper 



g-iope. P'^"'^ consisted principally of 

 a mass of straggling lines 

 somewhat resembling a shield of the 

 female when it is first spun. The 

 lower part had ten radii concentrated 

 upon the hub and all of them crossed 

 by beaded interradials. The occupant 

 hung to the upper part of his snare 

 and stretched his legs over the lower 

 part. The snare in width was little 

 greater than the spider's length meas- 

 ured from the tip of the hind legs to the feet of the fore legs. In other 

 \v'ords, he spanned his entire web. 



Another and similar male snare was found spun into the protective 

 wings of a mature female snare. A figure of this rudimentary web is 

 given. (Fig. 3.) On the whole, my observations justify the conclusion that 

 after the male sj^ider matures, the character of his web is rudimentary, after 

 the manner above described and sketched. Previous to that period he ap- 

 pears to form the characteristic web of the species, quite like young females. 

 In the immature state, the male Argiope differs from the mature individ- 

 ual ; it then resembles more closely the female in shape and the markings 

 upon its back. Indeed, at first glance, it would be taken for a young female. 



Fig. 3. Male Argiope cophinaria upon his snare. 



