rAiaixG OF rsEUDoscoiinoNEs. 879 



Tlie animals luovetl considerably backwards and forwards and 

 round about ; and the male, all the time in a state of great 

 activity, made at intervals determined advances towards the 

 female, but he was prevented from approaching closely. On the 

 occasion of each of these advances the male brought the ram's- 

 horn organs into action, running them out rather rapidly to their 

 full extent ; they took at these times a forward latei-al direction, 

 their extremities usually assuming an outward curve and passing 

 under or over the femora of the male's palps. Occasionally they 

 touched some part of the palps of the female, but this seemed 

 accidental. At the full extension of the organs, the male vibrated 

 his body in a peculiar manner and had at this time a remarkable, 

 even villainous appearance ; but the organs were exposed only for 

 a few moments, after which they ran in agitin rather rapidly, the 

 male then taking a few steps backwards. Eventually the ai'iimals 

 separated — perhaps disturljed by the sunlight to which they were 

 exposed — without proceeding to any act of fertilization. In 1906, 

 also in May, similar observations were made on specimens collected 

 on the Lincolnshire coast, but again no act of fertilization was 

 seen ; and no more observations were made till the spring of 1911. 

 In the third week of April in that year, a good number of 

 specimens were collected on the Camber sand-hills in Sussex ; and 

 tiiey were kept under daily observation in one of the cells above 

 described. During the remaining days of April and the early 

 days of May, the males, which had the abdomen rather full, 

 seemed to have difficulty in restraining the ram's-horn organs, 

 the tips of which constantly appeared from under the great genital 

 plate, which was at such times raiseil anteriorly and depressed 

 into the abdomen posteriorly. Many fencing contests between male 

 and female were seen ; but the male did not always obtain any 

 advantage in the grasp and was often in fact rather roughly used ; 

 he continued, however, even at these times, to display the ram's- 

 horn organs with great energy. As before, I failed to" observe the 

 acts of fertilization. It was evident, however, that such acts had 

 occurred, either before or after the animals came under observation, 

 for about a month later eggs began to appear externally on a 

 few of the females, and in the first week of July young broods 

 appeared. Shortly before this time, fortunately,"^ that is to say 

 about mid-summer, there was a recurrence of s'exual activity in 

 the cell ; and on 22nd June the whole process of the passing of the 

 male product to the female was successfully witnessed. 



The animals, male and female, had taken up a position, ventiul 

 face uppermost, on the under surface of the glass ; and the male, 

 who was firmly holding both hands of the female, was making 

 periodical advances towards her with display of the ram's-horn 

 organs as above described. It soon became evident that the 

 female was offering but slight resistance ; the male was allowed 

 to make a near approach, and at length he was even permitted to 

 caress with his chelicerse the chelicera? of the female. This done, 

 he fjuickly retired as before by taking a step or two backwards; 



