202 DIVERSIONS OF A NATURALIST 



which they can make a kind of singing note, which appears 

 to fascinate the other sex. The vibration of a tuning- 

 fork will cause some spiders to dance ! In most spiders 

 the female is much larger than the male — in some 

 cases, ten times as large — and the approach of the 

 male to the female is a dangerous business for him, 

 for usually after his embrace she turns on him, kills 

 him, and eats him. This is almost a unique case 

 amongst animals (though ancient legends tell of princesses 

 of similar ferocity), and curiously enough is not invariable 

 among all species of spider. In some the males and 

 females are quite friendly. The ogre-like habit of 

 female spiders is not so injurious a thing as it may 

 appear. For the most nourishing food is thus afforded 

 to the female who has to ripen her eggs, and take care 

 of her young, whilst, if the male escapes, it appears that 

 he is short-lived and very soon dies. This cannibal 

 tendency is very strongly developed also in the allied 

 group, the scorpions. Two hundred scorpions were left 

 in a cage in the South of France, whilst the naturalist 

 (Maupertuis) who had placed them there was obliged 

 to go to Paris, On his return he found one large, 

 very plump and active scorpion in the box, surrounded 

 by legs and hard bits of the bodies of the rest. The 

 survivor was in the position of Gilbert's ancient mariner, 

 who said that he was " the cook and the mate, and 

 the captain's boy and the crew of the Nancy Bell!' 

 Scorpions do not perform any courtship display. The 

 males and females are of equal size, and dance together, 

 holding one another by their large claws, before mating 

 and retiring into a burrow. 



Cuttle-fishes, squids, and the octopus — ^called Cephalo- 

 pods — were considered by Aristotle to be the spiders of 

 the sea. It is curious how they not only have a super- 



