SCORPIONS, SPIDERS AND CRABS 253 



hour or more, during which the animals turned several 

 times. At length, if in the neighbourhood of a suitable 

 stone, the male would dig a hole, without for a moment 

 entirely quitting his hold of the female, and presently both 

 would disappear into the newly-formed retreat." 



After the mating, as with the Spiders, the male is often 

 devoured by the female. After any combat with an 

 enemy, such as a Lycosa or a Scolopendra, it seems to be 

 de rigueur to eat the vanquished. 



If the mating period in the case of the higher animals 

 rouses the males to the pitch of frenzy, that frenzy is 

 dangerous only to possible rivals. With the more lowly 

 Spiders and Scorpions ferocity of disposition is a normal 

 feature, and one which can with difficulty be held in 

 check long enough to permit the all-important act of 

 mating to take place. In how far this is accounted for 

 by the extremely deficient senses of sight and hearing, 

 which are such marked features in these animals, it would 

 be difficult to estimate. But that the manner of their 

 display is governed by these deficiencies there can be no 

 doubt. The Spider, having a more or less efficient vision 

 at short range, executes more or less elaborate antics 

 in front of the female, designed, as in the case of the 

 birds, to serve as excitants to fan sexual desire, already 

 smouldering, to a flame. With the purblind Scorpion 

 the Spider-antics are useless ; he must proclaim his 

 desire by a pressure of the hand, and by intertwining 

 his tail with that of his prospective mate as they " walk 

 out " together. But Scorpions at one time were credited 

 with a very acute sense of hearing ; later investigations, 

 however, fail to yield any evidence whatever that they 

 possess this sense, though experiment has proved that 

 their sense of touch is excessively delicate and seems to 



