The males, apparently, fully realize the perils which their amours may lead them into. They haunt the borders of the webs of unmated females, but exhibit a hesitating, irresolute manner. For hours they will linger near her, feeling the silken carpet cautiously with their legs, and apparently trying to ascertain the nature of the welcome likely to be extended to them. The odds are against them: for even if allowed to mate, unless they are extraordinarily agile in slipping away the moment they have attained their object, the chances are they will be slain and eaten! Among some species, however, matters are otherwise: for the males of the genus _Linyphia_, for example, are generally to be found living peacefully with their consorts. More rarely the male weaves a small nuptial tent, into which he partly leads and partly drives the female: though the “driving” would appear to be merely for form’s sake! The habits of the Cellar Spider (_Tegenaria parietina_), a long-legged species fairly common in the South of England, affords a yet further interesting and instructive contrast with the foregoing accounts. The pairing habits of this species have been studied by many observers, but perhaps the best account is that of Mr. F. M. Campbell. He found, to begin with, that in this species the tender ties of mating are at any rate rarely violated by the horrible aftermath of cannibalism so common a feature with so many other Spiders. One or two illustrations from Mr. Campbell’s work must suffice. On one occasion he placed together a male and a female. For four days they took no notice of one another; then the female cast what proved to be her last skin, and within three hours after, the male began to show signs of interest in her presence—which is a fact of some significance, for not till then had she attained maturity. “After a few convulsive twitchings of the legs, the male pressed forwards, moving his palpi”—the leg like “feelers” on each side of the head which form the genital organs (page 241)—“up and down, when, as they touched the palpi of the female, the pair played with these organs like two friendly bees with their antennæ. After a few minutes the female raised herself, leaning a little on her left side, and the male crept forward until his head was under the breast of his mate, while his first pair of legs were resting upon hers. He now advanced his right palpus, leaning a little to the left and using the left palpus as part of his support. The right palpus was slightly twisted so as to bring the surface (containing the fertilizing germs) opposite the sexual organs of the female.... He now rapidly raised his palpus up and down for four or more seconds, and with such energy as to compel her to assume a vertical position. He then retired and again approached her, repeating the movements ... occasionally pausing before he withdrew his palpus.... At times he would leave the female for five