Courtship 



leans so far over as to be in danger of losing his balance, 

 which he only maintains by sidling rapidly towards the 

 lowered one. The palpus, too, on this side was turned 

 back to correspond to the direction of the legs nearest to 

 it. He moved in a semicircle for 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 towards him, 

 while he, raising his first pair of legs, extends them 

 upwards and forwards as if to hold her off, but withal 

 slowly retreats. Again and again he circles from side to 

 side, she gazing towards 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." 



Of another species these observers write : " A dozen 

 or more males, and about half as many females, were 

 assembled together within the length of one of the rails. 

 The males were rushing hither and thither, dancing 

 opposite now one female, now another ; often two males 

 met each other, when a short passage of arms followed. 

 They waved their first legs, sidled back and forth, and 

 then rushed together and clinched, but quickly separated^, 

 neither being hurt, only to run off in search of fairer 

 foes." 



Fabre, than whom no keener student of nature ever 

 existed, described the courtship of scorpions, and 

 Warburton, inspired by him, writes the following quaint 

 words : " After some very curious antics, in which the 

 animals stood face to face with raised tails, which they 

 intertwined . . . they always indulged in what Fabre 

 calls a promenade a deux hand in hand, so to speak, the 

 male seizing the pincers of the female with his own and 

 walking backwards, while the female followed, usually 



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