50 PECKHAM. [Vol. 1, 



gave the male, seeming at times to coquet with him, in this 

 species she was remarkable for her indifference. She takes less 

 interest in the display of the male than any spider that has 

 come under our observation. Another peculiarity of mitratus 

 is the large amount of time and strength given up by the 

 males to fighting. They do not seem so fierce as other species, 

 but they cannot endure each other's proximity. A male will 

 leave a female in the midst of his caresses to drive off another 

 male that comes too near. We once saw a male jump on to the 

 back of another that was pairing with a female. The latter 

 turned on the intruder and drove him to a distance of five or 

 six inches, and then returned and renewed his addresses. In 

 courting and in fighting the position of the male is the same. 

 The body is somewhat raised ; the first legs are held at a right 

 angle to the cephalothorax, and the abdomen is twisted to one 

 side, and, as he dances before the female, is changed now to the 



right, now to the left. (Fig. 

 23.) In mating, the male 

 does not usually crawl over 

 her, but jumps upon her 

 from a distance of one or 

 two inches, in this respect 

 ^ " ^^^P^ agreeing with the following 



* species, militaris. Whether 



Fig. 23. — Icius mitratus. Male dancing , , . , i . , . , i 



before female (from nature, by L. K.). Or UO thlS habit in the tWO 



species is due to the savage- 

 ness of the female — the females of both species sometimes 

 attack the males — we are unable to say. 



PHIL^US MILITARIS. 



This is the only species in which we saw males take pos- 

 session of young females and keep guard over them until they 

 became mature. There is a good deal of diflFerence in the size 

 of the males, some being larger and some smaller than the 

 females. We commenced our experiments by putting half a 

 dozen mature males into a box. They at once began to chase 

 each other about and to threaten each other with upraised legs. 



