POISON-FANG AND STILETTO 149 



males of the Garden Spider, as in many other 



species, are much smaller than the females, and 



their days of courtship and brief married life are 



of a most adventurous character. The bachelor 



Garden Spider, who is readily distinguished from 



the lady of his admiration by his smaller size and 



thinner and longer body, approaches her web in 



the most cautious manner. At first he will only 



venture to place one, or at most two, of his eight 



legs upon the outer threads of his lady-love's web, 



retreating hurriedly should she make the least 



movement. Gradually gathering courage he will 



venture a little way]on to the web, treading with 



the greatest caution, taking every step with an 



uncertainty of demeanour most comical to behold. 



Should the lady Spider be in coquettish mood, 



she will play with him coyly, permitting him to 



advance a little way on to the web, and then 



move her feet a step or two, just sufficiently to 



cause the nervous little male to beat a hasty 



and undignified retreat to the edge of the web. 



On the other hand, should she disapprove of 



his appearance, or consider his advances too 



pressing, she will make a sudden murderous 



dart at him, and should he not make good his 



escape, there is a fatal termination to his courting, 



the lady sinking her poison-fangs into his body 



and quickly sucking him dry. Even the duly 



accepted lover has a very nervous time of it, 



for the lady Spider generally kills and sucks the 



juices of her husband as soon as she finds that 



she has no further use for him. 



The geometrical web of the Garden Spider is 

 a very wonderful and beautiful object, consisting 



