38 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



the border of the box and in the act of pairing. But the male, forthwith 

 frightened, quitted his hold and ran rapidly away. The female, on the 



contrary, remained motionless. The observer captured the two 



airing- D ^^ placed them in a covered glass bottle with the nest which 



apoclisa * ne f ema l e fia cl temporarily abandoned to meet her partner. He 



also introduced into the bottle living flies. During three days the 

 mates ceased not to caress each other. The female did not return to her 

 nest, but kept below in a reversed position. The male approached her 

 from the side, with head elevated, stretched out his feet and spread them 

 gently and slowly upon the back of the abdomen of the female, sometimes 

 touching the fore feet with his own by a slight and very quick movement. 

 Then the female leaned to one side, in such a way as to expose her venter, 

 against which the male stretched his palps, and the union took place by 

 means of the palps. It was between 5 and 6 A. M. when this act occurred, 

 and it was repeated many times. During the remainder of the day the 

 couple remained separate. The female rested in the same place almost 

 wholly motionless, without doing anything. The male, more lively, more 

 wandering, more active, constructed a little web, placed himself in the mid- 

 dle and caught some flies. Again, he sometimes promenaded the glass, 

 stretching threads; but always after this momentary absence he returned 

 to a position in front of his spouse, appearing to contemplate her, laid his 

 feet against her own, his head vis-a-vis with her iiead, in a reversed po- 

 sition. 



Finally the female constructed a tube of silk, within which she retired. 

 The male penetrated this ; the tube was large enough to contain the two ; 



and they remained therein for ten days in perfect harmony, with- 

 ,.. ove out attempting to issue from their love bower. During all this 



time the female continued to rest wholly tranquil, and did not 

 attempt to escape. It was not so, however, with the male, who frequently 

 wandered abroad into the bottle. The two did not attempt to make orbic- 

 ular webs, but stretched irregular lines, upon which they caught flies, a fact 

 which shows that spiders are able to adapt themselves and their industry 

 to various circumstances. On the twelfth day, October 4th, the female Apo- 

 clisa became invisible, and it was observed that she had returned to her 

 original nest, first built at the top of the reed. The tube was abandoned by 

 her and remained vacant. The male did not attempt to rejoin his com- 

 panion, but wandered about the glass, occupied in seeking an opportunity 

 to escape therefrom. At this point Baron Walckenaer was compelled to 

 interrupt his observation. 1 



I make the following summary of the various stages as above described : 

 First, the female comes out to meet the male ; second, she hangs below a 

 few stretched lines, with her back downward ; third, the male touches her 



1 Walckenaer, Apteres, Vol. II., pages 63, 64. 



