No. .319] THE COURTSHIP OF 



the observations of Walckenaor (1S;; ( ), Menge (1843, 

 1866), Termeyer (1866), Lend! (1886), McCook (IS!")) 

 and myself (1903, 1908&). The male approaches the 

 female cautiously upon her web, locating her and testing 

 her eagerness by pulls upon a radius, she responding 

 gently to his signals when she is eager, otherwise she 

 makes a sudden rush at him in which case he swings 



When we sum up what is known of snare-weavers, it 

 appears that in them sex-recognition is always by touch, 

 by tapping or pulling of the web. In a few cases 

 {Tegenaria, Ceratinopsis and perhaps Diet y no) the 

 male attempts to capture the female by storm; but more 

 generally he approaches very cautiously and timidly, 



-mn-illiim- to the female Win 



m there is a co\ 



1 . ^ . 



r^onVof line signals *and so! 





'in m " 1> 1m 



female seems the more eager ai 



id active in the i 



•our't^hi'!' 

 !0U S ip. 



2. HunU 







For the drassids, most of wl 





fcers d 



essentially nocturnal, there ar 



e the following 





tions. Menge (1872) placed to 



gether a male ar 





of Melanophora nocturna, whe: 



reupon the male 



immedi- 



ately embraced the female wi 



thout courtship 



; and he 



observed (1873) a similar forcil 





canthium 



oncognathum. In Cluhicma triv 





873) that 



the male makes a small saccu] 



lar nest next th 



at of the 



female, and that he knocks, s< 



ometimes for da 



ivs, upon 



her nest wall before she allow 





During 



the past summer the following 





ere made 



by me. In Drassus neglectus 



(Keys.) an a< 



lult male 





de, seals her in 



a mating 



nest, and mates with her just 



after her last i 



moult; in 



one case the male found the fei 



male in the cage 



by touch 



alone (I could see no evidence of recognition 1 



»y sight), 



and rendered her passive by 



gentle tapping 





first legs. The male of Chir 



aeanthiam inclm 



<H»I ITtz. 



also finds the female by touch, J 



and tries to subj 



agate her 



