Dugesielia hentzi (Girard). 373 



in one instance a small female Struck a clumsy male in the steruum 

 with her fangs (the male was forcibly teased into courting). He 

 was at once paralyzed and without recovering his ability to move, 

 died on the fourth day, thus proving that courthip in tarantulas is 

 combined with real danger. When a mature female wliich has been 

 mated several times does not want to accept the male, she behaves 

 somewhat similarly to the immatiire female. She tries to run away 

 or eise assumes a threatening attitude, without, however, opening 

 her fangs or doing so only when the male is not directly in front 

 of her. It should be stated that females and males that happen to 

 meet at a time when the males are not sexually excited, on touching 

 each other assume the threatening position but never attack and 

 soon separate. A female never molests a female. A mature but 

 unwilling female is certainly able, if she has memory, to distinguish 

 between an aggresive, courting male and an enemy. No experiments 

 have been made upon Theraphosids to show whether they possess 

 memory but true spiders undoubtedly have good memories as the 

 experiments of Peckham proved and as I myself have had occasion 

 to observe. The behavior of the mature female Dugesielia when 

 molested by a male at a time of sexual rest, showed distinctly that 

 she did not treat him as an enemy. It is only at the first moment 

 when the male touches her that she assumes a threatening attitude. 

 Even then she does not rise so high as she does when tapped with 

 a pencil when she will remain in this attitude sometimes for over 

 half a minute. Moreover, if the tapping with the pencil is continued, 

 she will rise as high as possible on her bind legs and opening her 

 fangs, will hold them open for a considerable time, as in Fig. 1, 

 whereas if the male continues his courtship, she will lower her body 

 so as to prevent him from getting uuder her and catching her 

 mandibles. The difference is difficult to put into words but it is 

 clear to one who has opportunity to observe it repeatedly when the 

 conclusion is that she learns by experience not to remain Standing 

 too long on her bind legs and to avoid opening the fangs when 

 unwilling to be courted by a male. 



It is different when she is inclined to accept the male. 



Courtship and mating. 



When the restlessly wandering male happens to touch with his 

 legs some part of the body or a leg of the female, he at once stops 

 Short and begins to strike simultaneously and violently with his 



25* 



