No. 1.] SEXUAL SELECTION IN SPIDERS. 37 



tribute but little to a thorough knowledge of the subject. Last 

 year, we determined that, if possible, we would work out this 

 subject so far as concerned the species in our locality. For 

 this purpose we had made a number of mating-boxes. The 

 larger ones were 15 inches long by 11| wide and 3 deep; the 

 smaller, 7| long by 5|- wide and 2J deep. The sides of each 

 box were marked off into inches so that the distance of the 

 spiders from each other could be easily noted. The floor was 

 made of coarse cotton cloth, for the purpose of ventilation, 

 while the top was of glass, so that the inmates of the cage could 

 be kept fully in view at all times ; this top could be opened and 

 closed. As a usual thing we move into the country toward the 

 last of .June, but this year we went out on the 22d of May, in 

 order to be in time for those species that mature early. 



The courtship of spiders is a very tedious affair, going on 

 hour after hour. We shall condense our descriptions as much 

 as possible, but it must be noted that we often worked four or 

 five hours a day for a week in getting a fair idea of the habits 

 of a single species. 



SAITIS PULEX. 



On reaching the country we found that the males of Saitis 

 pulex were mature and were waiting for the females, as is the 

 way with both spiders and insects. In this species there is but 

 little difference between the sexes. On May 24th, we found a 

 mature female and placed her in one of the larger boxes, and 

 the next day we put a male in with her. He saw her as she 

 stood perfectly still, twelve inches away; the glance seemed to 

 excite him and he at once moved toward her ; when some four 

 inches from her he stood still and then began the most re- 

 markable performances that an armorous male could offer to 

 an admiring female. She eyed him eagerly, changing her 

 position from time to time so that he might be always in view. 

 He, raising his whole body on one side by straightening out 

 the legs, and lowering it on the other by folding the first two 

 pairs of legs up and under, leaned so far over as to be in dan- 

 ger of losing his balance, which he only maintained by sidling 



