. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. 382 ARACHNIDA ARANEAE chap. but it was hardly to be expected that their counterpart would exist among spiders. Yet the antics by which male Attidae endeavour to attract the attention of the females afford an almost exact parallel. Tlie following extract from the account of Professor and Mrs. Peekham â ' of their observations on Saitis 2ndex will make this abundantly clear: " When some four inches from her he stood still, and then began the most remarkable performances that an amorous male could offer to an admiring female. She eyed him eagerly, ch
. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. 382 ARACHNIDA ARANEAE chap. but it was hardly to be expected that their counterpart would exist among spiders. Yet the antics by which male Attidae endeavour to attract the attention of the females afford an almost exact parallel. Tlie following extract from the account of Professor and Mrs. Peekham â ' of their observations on Saitis 2ndex will make this abundantly clear: " When some four inches from her he stood still, and then began the most remarkable performances that an amorous male could offer to an admiring female. She eyed him eagerly, changing her position from time to time, so that he might be always in view. He, raising his whole body on one side by straightening out the legs, and lowering it on the other by folding the first two pairs of legs up and under, leaned so far over as to be in danger of losing his balance, which he only maintained by sidling rapidly towards the lowered side. . Again and again he circles from side to side, she gazing towards him in a softer mood, evidently admiring the grace of his antics. This is repeated until we have counted a hundred and eleven circles made by the ardent little male. Now he approaches nearer and nearer, and when almost within reach whirls madly around and around her, she joining with him in a giddy maze. Again he falls back and resumes his semicircular motions, with his body tilted over; she, all excitement, lowers her head and raises her body so that it is almost vertical; both draw nearer; she moves slowly under him, he crawling over her head, and the mating is ; A similar but not exactly identical performance was gone through by the male of several different species, but it was note- worthy that the particular attitudes he adopted were always such as to display to the best advantage his special beauties, whether they con- sisted in crested head, fringed palpi and fore - legs, or iri- FiG. 200-Danciug attitude of male 7d«. descent abdome
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1895
