1144 Marvels of the Universe 
but a choice mouthful for a hungry foe ; although such mouths as those of the cod, or the dog-fish, 
can relish the Sea-mouse even with its full armature of spines. 
On the back is a felt-like covering composed of interwoven hairs, under which a series of over- 
lapping plates are arranged in pairs, these covering the gills. The felt covering acts as a filter for 
the sand and mud, allowing only the pure water to reach the breathing organs. 
The underside reveals the body divided into about forty rings, each bearing a pair of bristly 
foot-stumps, which the animal can elongate or contract at its will. The head bears eyes and a pair 
of feelers, and its mouth is a kind of tube which, to capture the small crustacea, sponges, etc., on 
which it feeds, it protrudes from the inside, somewhat like the inverted finger of a glove, enveloping 
the prey and then reversing the action. 
SIMIDIAR CQWIRMS SVU? 
THE display of their charms of form, colour or voice by male animals in their efforts to secure the 
approval of the females, is quite an ordinary phenomenon. Birds in the mating season delight us 
with their exuberant vocal efforts, though the concert is not intended for us, but for the allurement 
of the hen-birds. Certain male birds that lack the power of song, but have fine plumage, strut and 
dance around the hens, spreading their wings and tail-feathers, and behaving generally in an 
extravagant manner. Something of the same sort occurs with certain fishes, who get up specially 
bright liveries for the courting season, and even resort to battles royal for the possession of a desired 
female, in this latter respect copying the procedure of many mammals. Some insects do the like, 
and the coquetting of butterflies in the air is of much the same purport. The male butterfly is, 
as a rule, much more brightly coloured than the female ; just as we find in the case of the birds, 
and the male butterfly likes to sit on a flower, or in some cases on the ground, and spread its wings 
in the sun for the enjoyment of passing females. 
It is, therefore, not surprising to find that the same rule applies among spiders, where the female 
is by far the superior of 
the two sexes. The males, 
as a matter of fact, are 
rarely seen. Nearly all 
the spiders that we see 
on webs are females, and 
the builders thereof. The 
males are not domesti- 
cated, are not proper web- 
weavers, and appear to be 
regarded in general by the 
other sex as necessary evils 
to be quietly disposed of 
at the end of the honey- 
moon. But the prelimi- 
nary question is, — shall 
there be a honeymoon, 
and to settle this point 
the males of different 
species of spider set to 
Bvt SC ar er as. work in different ways. 
SPIDER COURTSHIP. 
The male of Astia dancing and displaying his fine form and ornamentation before Some minute males hang 
the less brilliant female. around the circumference 
