WOOING AND MATING. 



19 



at this period occasionally occupying separate webs, but more frequently 

 domesticated upon the orb of the female, upon which several will be found 

 congregated. For example, in a clump of grasses I found the 

 C^^ t h' ^^'^^ ^^ ^" api)arently mature female, to whom three males were 

 o °Arei-^^ P''^y"^S attention. Two of the males were established upon the 

 ope. outer margins of the female's snare, upon small rudimentary 



webs. The third had built a separate snare immediately behind 

 the female. There he hung in the usual position at the hub, which was 

 covered with light straggling lines, a kind of imitation of the ordinary 

 shield. Above arid below were two 

 faint, irregularly formed ribbons, more 

 suggestions of the beautiful ribbon 

 spun by the female. This snare had 

 about twenty-one radii and twelve or 

 thirteen s[)irals beaded ai^parfently in 

 tlie ordinary way. The web was about 

 four inches in length and about two 

 inches wide. 



On the same day several males 

 were found on separate webs. These 

 webs are ordinarily quite ru- 

 dimentary. In one the upper 

 part consisted principally of 

 a mass of straggling lines 

 somewhat resembling a shield of the 

 female when it is first spun. The 

 lower part had ten radii concentrated 

 upon the hub and all of them crossed 

 by beaded interradials. The occupant 

 hung to the upper part of his snare 

 and stretched his legs over the lower 

 part. The snare in width was little 

 greater than the spider's length meas- 

 ured from the tip of the hind legs to the feet of the fore legs. In other 

 words, he spanned liis entire web. 



Another and similar male snare was found spun into the protective 

 wings of a mature female snare. A figure of this rudimentnry web is 

 given. (Fig. 3.) On the whole, my observations justify the conclusion that 

 after the male spider matures, the character of his web is rudimentary, after 

 the manner above described and sketched. Previous to that period lie ap- 

 pears to form the characteristic web of the species, quite like young females. 

 In the immature state, the male Argiope differs from the mature individ- 

 ual ; it then resembles more closely the female in shape and the markings 

 upon its back. Indeed, at first glance, it would be taken for a young female. 



Snare of 

 Male Ar- 

 giope. 



Fig. 3. Male Argiope coplii 



upon Ills snare. 



