10 PECKHAM. Vol. 1. 



rather than spiders." ^ In the Malay Archipelago, also, he was 

 struck by the " abundance and variety of the little jumping 

 spiders, which abound on flowers and foliage, and are often per- 

 fect gems of beauty."^ Bates, too, in The Naturalist on the Ama- 

 zon, says that " the number of spiders ornamented with showy 

 colors was somewhat remarkable." ' A large collection of spi- 

 ders from the tropics is sure to contain as great a proportion of 

 beautifully colored specimens as would be found among an 

 equal number of birds from the same region. Let us, then, en- 

 deavor to apply to them the hypothesis, that the brighter color 

 of the male is due to his greater activity and vital force. 



Beginning with the most brilliant family, the Atlidse, we find 

 that the females are, with few exceptions, larger, stronger and 

 much more pugnacious than the males. Some four years ago 

 we placed two females of Pliidippm morsitans together in a glass 

 jar. No sooner did they observe each other than both prepared 

 for battle. Eyeing each other with a firm glance they' slowly 

 approached, and in a moment were locked in deadly combat. 

 Within a few seconds the cephalothorax of one was pierced by 

 the fang of the other, and with a convulsive tremor it relaxed 

 its hold and fell dead. We placed together, in all, four females, 

 and in each instance the fight was short but even to the 

 death. Subsequently, we put in a well-developed male, 

 which, though smaller, was compactly built and apparently 

 strong enough to bring the virago to terms ; but, to our sur- 

 prise, he seemed alarmed and retreated, trying to avoid her ; 

 she, however, followed him up, and finally killed him. We 

 have observed the same habits in Phidqypiis rvfiis. In Dendry- 

 phanies elegans the female is nearly a third larger than the 

 male. During the past summer we kept a number of this 

 species, males and females, together in a large mating-box, and 

 were much struck by the greater quarrelsomeness of the 

 females; they would frequently go out of their way to chase 

 each other, and they were much more circumspect in approach- 



1 p. 97. 



2 Malay Archipelago, p. 437. 



3 P. 54. 



