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Their abdomen is quite flat and thin when they have been long without nourishment; but, when adhering to the body of an animal, they soon fill themselves with blood, and their size then becomes so much enlarged, that any one unacquainted with their habits and appearance, would scarcely recognise them.

Their motions are extremely slow and heavy, but, in compensation for this apparent defect, they are able to adhere closely and strongly even to the most solid bodies. They are very tenacious of life; and their skin is so hard and tough, that they are not easily susceptible of injury. Long after they are deprived of their head, they give indications of remaining life.

In the destruction of these insects, mercurial preparations have been employed with success.

OF THE SPIDERS IN GENERAL.

THESE insects, which are so remarkable, on account of their industry and manners of life, are generally viewed with an aversion only to be accounted for by the unpleasing impressions that are made upon us in early life. These impressions are, in general, communicated by persons ill-qualified to give the mind that direction which is necessary for the purposes of life. Even many naturalists have complained that this aversion has deterred them from observing and accurately examining the habits of these insects; and those who have undertaken to do so, have generally been at much trouble to overcome their antipathy.

Spiders prey on other insects, and do not, in all cases, spare even their own species. There is little doubt but their bite is venomous: and it is said that a fly which has once felt it can never be recovered, but soon dies in convulsions. Many of the species have been swallowed, without any subsequent inconvenience.

Some of the Spiders spin webs for the purpose of catching their prey; but others seize it by surprise. They are all able to sustain an abstinence from food for a great length of time; some for even six months or upwards.

They frequently change their skins. The larva and pupae have each eight legs, and differ in no respect from the perfect insect.

THE HOUSE-SPIDER.

The abdomen of these insects is nearly oval, of a brown color, and marked with five black and almost contiguous spots.

House-spiders feed principally on flies; and the web by which they are enabled to entangle these insects is a surprising part of the animal economy. For the purpose of forming this web, they are supplied with a quantity of glutinous matter contained in a receptacle near the extremity of their bodies: and, for spinning it into thread, they have

five teats, the orifices of which the insects have the power of cou tracting and dilating at pleasure. When they enter on the construe tion of this curious fabric, they fix on a spot apparently calculated both for plunder and security. The animal then distils one little drop of glutinous liquor, which is very tenacious; and creeping along the wall, and joining its thread as it proceeds, it darts itself to the opposite side, where the other end is to be fastened. The first thread thus formed, being drawn tight and fixed at each end, the Spider runs on it backward and forward, still doubling and strengthuvig youf,buod rods to logah ening it, as on this depends the

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HOUSE-SPIDER.

stability of the whole. The scaf en folding thus completed, it makes a number of threads parallel to the first, and then crosses them with others: the clammy substance of which they are formed serves, when first made, to bind them to each other. At the bottom of the web a kind of Time funnel is constructed, in which the little creature lies concealed. In this den of destruction it

watches with unremitted assiduity till its prey is entangled; when this is the case it instantly darts upon its victim and deprives it of

life.

The webs of Spiders differ from those woven by any human artist in this circumstance: in our work, the threads extended in length are interlaced with those that are carried on transversely; whereas, the threads of a Spider's woof only cross the threads of the warp, and are glued to them in the points where they mutually touch, and are not either inserted or interwoven.

The threads along the border of the work are doubled or trebled, by the Spider's opening all her teats at once, and gluing several threads one over another; sensible that the extremity of the web ought to be hemmed and fortified, in order to preserve it from being torn. She likewise further secures and supports it with strong loops, or double threads, which she fixes all around it, and which hinder it from being the sport of the winds.

From time to time she finds it necessary to clear away the dust, which would otherwise incommode her web, and she sweeps the whole by giving it a shake with her paw; but in doing this she so nicely proportions the force of the blow to the strength of the work, that nothing is ever broken.

From all parts of the web are drawn several threads, which terminate, like rays in a centre, at the place of her concealment. The vibration of any of these threads is communicated to her, and gives her notice whenever there is game in the net, and accordingly she springs upon it in an instant. She derives another advantage from this retreat under her web; she there feasts on her prey in full security. It also gives her the power of concealing the carcasses, and not leav

THE GARDEN-SPIDER.

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ing in the purlieus any traces of her barbarity, capable of intimating the place of her retreat, and inspiring other insects with a dread of approaching it.

This Spider is furnished with a pair of sharp hooked fangs, enclosed, when at rest, in cases in the fore-part of her head. With these wea pons, (which a good glass will discover to have a small slit or orifice in each point,) she seizes and pierces such insects as entangle themselves in her web; and infuses a poisonous liquid into the wound. This poison must be very deleterious; for flies, and many other insects, may be mutilated by depriving them of their legs, wings, and even cutting their bodies through the very middle of the abdomen, and in that condition they will survive several days; but this liquid in a moment kills them.

When two Spiders of the same size meet in combat, neither of them will yield: they hold each other by their fangs so fast, that, in general, one of the two must die before they are separated.

The Spider, the Ptinus, and many insects of the beetle kind, exhibit an instinct of very extraordinary nature. When put in terror by a touch of the finger, the Spider runs off with great swiftness; but if he find that, whatever direction he takes, he is opposed by another finger, he then seems to despair of being able to escape, contracts his limbs and body, lies motionless, and counterfeits every symptom of death. "In this situation," says Mr. Smellie, "I have pierced Spiders with pins, and torn them to pieces, without their indicating the slightest marks of pain. Some Beetles, when counterfeiting death, will suffer themselves to be gradually roasted, without moving a single joint."

When the House-spider changes its skin, which it does at certain seasons, an opening may be seen in the belly. Through this it draws all its limbs, and leaves the old covering hanging to the cord that sustained it during the operation.

The eyes of all the Spiders are placed on the upper part of their head, but in various positions. These have no muscles, and are therefore immovable. They also consist of only one lens each, and do not, as in other insects, possess the faculty of multiplying objects; but their number and situation enable the animals to see perfectly well in all necessary directions.

THE GARDEN-SPIDER.

The body of this Spider is brown and somewhat downy. On the thorax are four furrows, of which the two middle ones diverge towards the head. The abdomen, which is nearly spherical, has, from the middle to the extremity, three white lines.

The labor of the Garden-spider, is very different from that of the former species; yet it is not performed with less art. When desirous of flitting from one place to another, this animal fixes one end of a thread to the place where she stands, and then with her hind paws, draws out several other threads from the nipples, which being lengthened, and driven by the wind to some neighboring tree, or other

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object, are by their natural clamminess, fixed to it. As soon as the Spider finds that these are fastened, she makes of them a bridge, on which she can pass and repass at pleasure. This done, she renders the thread thicker, by spinning others to it. From this thread she often descends, by spinning downward to the ground. The thread formed by the latter p operation she fixes to some stone, plant, or other substance. She reascends to the first thread, and at a little distance from the second begins a third, which she fixes in a similar manner. She now strengthens all the three threads, and, beginning at one of the corners, weaves across, and at last forms a strong and durable net, in the centre of which she places herself, with her head downward, to wait for her prey.

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THE GARDEN SPIDER.

From its having been frequently remarked that Spiders spread their webs in solitary and confined places, to which it is sometimes difficult for flies to penetrate, M. de Vaillant concluded that these creatures must often remain long without food, and that, consequently, they were capable of enduring considerable abstinence. To ascertain the truth of this circumstance, he took a large Gardenspider, whose belly was about the size of a nut, enclosed it under a glass bell, which he secured with cement round its bottom, and left it in this situation ten months. Notwithstanding this deprivation of food, the insect appeared during the whole time equally vigorous and alert; but its belly decreased, till at last it was scarcely larger than the head of a pin He then put under the bell to it another Spider of the same species. For a little while they kept at a respectful distance from each other, and remained motionless; but presently the meagre one, pressed by hunger, approached and attacked the stranger. It returned several times to the charge; and, in these different conflicts, deprived the stranger of almost all its claws: these it carried away to its former situation, to devour. The meagre Spider had likewise lost three of its own claws, on which also it fed, and M. Le Vaillant perceived that, by this repast, its plumpness was in some degree restored. On the following day, the new comer, deprived of all its means of defence, fell a complete sacrifice. It was speedily devoured; and in less than twenty four hours, the old inhabitant of the bell became as plump as it was at the first moment of its confinement.

THE WANDERING SPIDER.

The color of the Wandering Spider is reddish brown, aarker on the thorax than the abdomen. This part has, on each side, towards the top, a blackish line, or a brown spot. The two anterior legs, which are long, have blackish rings. The four hind legs are very short.

The Wandering Spider, which is very common on plants, does not

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lie in wait for its prey, like several others: it is a lively and active hunter. Its head is furnished, as

in the rest, with immovable eyes. Ar aut Without any motion of the head,

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it perceives all the flies that hover o around: it does not alarm, but stretches over them its arms, furnished with feathers, which prove i nets that entangle their wings. The Spider seizes them between its merciless claws, and instantly sucks their blood.

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In its general form, as well as in he its manner of running, the Wandering Spider has much the appearance of a small crab. It carries its eggs enveloped in a small bag of whitish silk.

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THE WANDERING SPIDER.

THE WATER-SPIDER.

This singular little creature is a very common inhabitant of our fresh waters. When in the water, its belly appears as if covered with a silver varnish. This, however, is nothing more than a bubble of air, attached to the abdomen by the oily humors which transpire from the body, and prevent the immediate contact of the water. By ineans of this kind of bubble, the insect forms its dwelling under the water. It fixes several silky threads to the stalks of water-plants, and then, ascending to the surface, thrusts the hinder part of its body. above the water, drawing it back with so much rapidity, as to attach beneath a bubble of air, which it has the art of detaining below, by placing it under the threads above mentioned, and which it bends, like a covering, almost round it. It then again ascends for another air-bubble, and thus proceeds till it has constructed an aërial apartnient under the water, which it enters into or quits at pleasure. The niale constructs for himself one near that of the female, and afterwards breaks through the thread walls of the female's dwelling; and the two bubbles, attached to the bellies of both, unite into one, forming one large chamber.

The female takes care of the young-ones, and constructs similar apartments for them.

The figure of this Spider has in it nothing remarkable; and the insect may be overlooked among a crowd of curiosities, if the spectator be unacquainted with its singular art of constructing an aërial habitation under water, and thus availing itself of the properties of both elements. It lodges, during the winter, in empty shells, which it dexterously closes with a web.

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