8o ANIMAL BIOLOGY 



prey instead of spreading snares for it. Among these are 

 the so-called running spiders and the jumping or hopping 

 spiders. The latter especially are easily kept in confine- 

 ment where one may readily observe their alertness, 

 pugnacity, keenness of vision, their careful tactics in 

 approaching their prey and many other entertaining 

 peculiarities of behavior. 



The adult males of spiders may be distinguished from 

 the females by the enlarged terminal joint of the palps. 

 The palps serve as the organs of sperm transfer at the 

 time of mating. The males after having drawn the sper- 

 matic fluid into the enlarged end of the palp convey this 

 material to the sex opening of the female and thus effect 

 a fertilization of the eggs. Fertilization is often preceded 

 by an elaborate courtship in which the males perform the 

 most curious antics which are often considered to be the 

 means of displaying their charms, the female being sup- 

 posed to choose the most attractive male. In some spiders 

 the males are many times smaller than the females, and 

 courtship is attended with its dangers, since the female 

 often pounces upon her small suitor and devours him with- 

 out the least ceremony. Spiders in general are creatures 

 with little sympathy in their composition. Their chief 

 business in life is preying upon other creatures, and they 

 have an attitude of hostility to almost everything that 

 moves. They perform a valuable service to man in killing 

 off millions of injurious insects. 



There are very few species whose bite is at all dangerous 

 or even painful. It is best not to be too familiar with the 

 large tarantulas of the south and west, as their bite is 

 very poisonous. There is a small round-bodied, black 

 spider, Latrodectes, common in the south and west, 

 which has a bad reputation, as many cases of severe poison- 



