The Domestic Life of Animals 



103 



ing the first two pairs of legs up and under, leaned so far over as to 

 be in danger of losing his balance, which he only maintained by 

 sidling rapidly toward the lowered side. The palpus, too, on this 

 side was turned back to correspond to the direction of the legs 

 nearest it. He moved in a semicircle of about two inches, and 

 then instantly reversed the position of the legs and circled in the 

 opposite direction, gradually approaching nearer and nearer to the 

 female. Now she dashes toward him, while he, raising his first pair 

 of legs, extends them upward and forward as if to hold her off, but 

 withal slowly retreats. Again and again he circles from side to 

 side, she gazing toward him in a softer mood, evidently admiring 

 the grace of his antics. This is repeated until we have counted one 

 hundred and eleven circles made by the ardent little male. Now 

 he approaches nearer and nearer, and when almost within reach 

 whirls madly around and around her, she joining and whirling with 

 him in a giddy maze. Again he falls back, and resumes his semi- 

 circular motions with his body tilted over ; she, all excitement, 

 lowers her head and raises her body, so that it is almost vertical. 

 Both draw nearer, she moves slowly under him, he crawling over 

 her head, and the mating is accomplished." The males are quarrel- 

 some and fight with 

 one another ; but after 

 watching ''hundreds 

 of seemingly terrible 

 battles " between the 

 males of twelve differ- 

 ent species, the obser- 

 vers were forced to the 

 conclusion that "they 

 are all sham affairs 

 gotten up for the pur- 

 pose of'displaying be- 

 fore the females, who 

 commonly stand by in- 

 terested spectators." 

 "It seemed cruel sport 

 at first to put eight or 

 ten males (of Dendry- 

 phantes capitatns] into 

 a box to see them fight, 



FIG. 23. Two male spiders (Zygoballus lettini} 

 fighting. (After G. W. and E. G. Peckham.) 



but it was soon apparent that they were very prudent little fellows, 

 and were fully conscious that ' he who fights and runs away will 

 live to fight another day.' In fact, after two weeks of hard fighting 

 we were unable to discover one wounded warrior. . . . The 

 single female (of Phidippus uiorsitans] that we caught during the 



