22 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



insect entangled in the meshes of the snare.' Of this there can be no 

 doubt, the female appears to be always conscious of the presence of a 

 male of her species, as distinguished from all other intruders. 



IV. 



The period of approach or courtship is generally terminated by a sud- 

 den rush, which brings the partners into union. The advances, as far as 

 I know, are made by the male ; rarely by the female — directly, 



e oy- ^^ least. They are not always received with favor; and it is 

 ers Peril. i , i, , , , • • , 



undoubtedly true that the male is sometimes sorely put to it to 



make his escape from the premises of an unresponsive female, and occa- 

 sionally prosecutes his amours at the cost of life. Menge, in the course 

 of his experimental observations, lost manj' males, after feeding them un- 

 til mature, by introducing them into a cylinder containing females.^ Ter- 

 meyer records, with a " surjirise and indignation " which seems refreshing 

 to modern observers, that a male Diadem spider, after the act of union 

 with the female, was attacked by his spouse, and, hapjieuing to be in such 

 close quarters that he could not escape, was deliberately enveloped in her 

 threads and devoured.^ 



I have watched this point with great interest in the experimental colo- 

 nies upon my vines. Many males of Argiope cophinaria have been found 

 trussed up and suspended on the snares of females upon whom I had seen 

 them in attendance but a little while before. Two males were thus de- 

 stroyed by the same female in one day. In some cases the males would 

 be tolerated for several days, even though they hung quite near, and then, 

 without any apparent reason, would be suddenly found killed and hung 

 up in silken bonds close by my lady's bed at the hub of her orb. In 

 these cases there can be no doubt that the female knew the character 

 of her visitor during all his stay. Any other creature thus intruding would 

 at once have been attacked. The amatory feeling was evidentl}' strong- 

 enough to tolerate her lover's presence for several days, but not sufficiently 

 warm to encourage the further advances which he made, and which cost 

 him his life. 



One female was attended for a number of days by a male who kept 

 near and just above her, often feeling her gently with his fore legs. I 

 supposed the female to be mature, but could not decide without capturing 

 her. However, I one day found her moulting, apparently the last moult 

 preceding complete maturity. A few hours after the moult I found my 

 patient gallant trussed up and hanging close by his lady love, wlio had 

 not deigned to eat him. (Fig. 5.) In sjjider world, at least, it would 

 sometimes seem an ill advised action to " haste to the wedding." I have, 



' Sexual Selection in Spideiy, page 55. ^ Preussische Spinnen. 



^ Proceedings Essex Institute. 



