rAIlUNG OF PSEUDOSCORPIONES. 385 



and one then saw that a whitish filament was stretched from the 

 foot-like attachment to the genital opening ; and now the male 

 produced very quickly from the genital opening a large globule 

 of brilliant liquid ; and this globule remained on the filament, 

 just below the genital opening, like a great bead on a thread. 

 Standing thus for some moments, perhaps awaiting some sign 

 from the female, and continuing with great energy the shaking 

 of the free hand, the male at last quickly raised liis body and 

 took a step or two backwards so as to free the globule and filament ; 

 and it .was now seen that the filament, which passed through 

 the globule, bore jiist above it a small irregular termination of 

 whitish substance. The remarkable spermatophore thus com- 

 pleted remained standing on the ground in an ei'ect or suberect 

 position. At the moment when the male i-aised his body and 

 stepped back, the female, still held by the hand by the male, 

 ran forward; the movement of the two animals being perfectly 

 mutual and just sulficient to bring tlie genital area of the female 

 into the exact position occupied the moment before by that of 

 the male. As the female thus ran forward the genital orifice was 

 widely open ; and just as the spermatophore was reached a slight 

 forward and downward movement was made upon it; and, the 

 genital orifice being quickly closed, the globule together with the 

 whitish termination of the filament were taken in at a gulp. 

 Only the naked filament remained. At the moment of this rapid 

 gulping in, the female drew back ; and at the same moment the 

 male, with great eagerness and with the chelicerai' extended and 

 open, ran forwai-d until the fore parts of male and female were in 

 contact ; and the two animals remained thus in a state of quiescent 

 embi'ace for some time. During this embrace the head of the 

 male went under that of the female ; but no part of the male was 

 at any time directed towards the female genital opening. The 

 coupling action of the legs of the first jjair, which appears to be 

 an essential condition in the pairing of Chelifer latreiUii, had no 

 counterpart in the present species. At the conclusion of this 

 period of repose, the male roused himself to activity again, 

 recommenced the rapid movements of the fi-ee palp and of the 

 legs of the first pair, and the whole process was repeated. 



The whole pi'ocess was, in fact, always repeated many times. 

 To this there was no exception in all the observations. The male 

 never once released, not even during the periods of repose, the 

 fixed grasj) of the hand of the female ; spermatophores were 

 regulai'ly produced and received at intervals of from eight to ten 

 minutes; and this recui'rent pairing was continued for two houi-s, 

 or even for three houi's, or more. 



By the beginning of the second week of May the activity of 

 the males showed signs of abating, and the colony was broken up. 

 Soon afterwards, however, a new colony was established, and 

 pairing was seen again in July and August. 



Text-fig. 50 B shows the spermatophore — two of them — in 

 lateral view. This object agrees with that of the former species in 

 its attachment to the floor, but is otherwise of difterent character, 

 Proc. Zool. Soc— 1912, No. XXY. 25 



