The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-01-20
THE TEXAS TARANTULA.


r AMI, crowded, 50 that il can scarce wave
n under the breeze, with corn or sugar, O.
& wheat Or cotton. Every cabin is full an
e overflowing, through all its doors and WIN
d dows. with white haired children. Ever5
}. prairie abounds in deer, prairie hens am
d cattle. Every river and creek is alive VIII
!. fish. The whole land is electric with iiz
e ards perpetnaly dar,ing about among lht
!, grass like flashes Of green lightning. "
| nave TOO much prairie and too little fofes
, i for great multitude or variety OF BIRDS
0 out in horned frogs, scorpions, taFantuar
. md centipedes, we beat the universe.
4 Every body has horned frogs. You se7
them in isrs 10 the windows ofapoihscarles
: You are entreated to purchase them bs !oai-
/ ing bass on the levee at New orleans.
] rhes baye been neatly sodered up 10 soda,
: boxes, and mailed BY young gentlemen 10
/. Texas, to fair ones n the old States. The
!. fair ones receive the neat package from the
/ ,ost office, aud are delighted at The prospect
] Of a daguecreotY Ype-perhaps Jeweiry-
!. pen the package early, and faint, as the
!. frog within hops out, in excellent health,
J upon them. A horned frog i, simply
Igery harmless frog. with very por,entious
! horns. II has horns, because everything
Ein lis region-trees, shrubs; grass even,
has lhorns, and nature makes il in keeping
with all around it, A menagerie oi them
would moi be expensive. They are content
Ito live upon air-and can, il desired, live,
; Il am told, for several months even without
that.
The scorpions are precisely like those q
Arabia-in the shape of lobster, exactly,
nly not more than three inches long.
You are very apt to put one upon your lace
N the towel you apply thereto after wash
ing. If you do, YOU will find the sting
bout equal to that Of wasp-notbing
worse. They are far less poisonous than
, the scorpions Of the east-ln fact none eS
rept pew cemers dread them at all.
i Bu, the tarantula! You remember the
astonishing elasticity with which you
sprung in the air that time You were Jist
IN the point Of putting your raised iooi
j apon snake coiled in your path. You
we're rightened-through every fiber oi
4 our BODY. Very probable the snake Wa
/ i
aigh, be as utterly frightened as posAoie,
when you first avoid stepping on atarantn.
H.. however. Filthy, loathsome, ahomln'
ad.e and poison us-crush il to atoms before
YOU leave in II you have never seen y.
: know henceforih that il Is an enormous spL-
| der, concentrating all thevenom, and spite.
. nd ugliness Of all other spiders living. IT.
l, atlI
! bloated.
i 1t eninvs the possession of eight long
e strong legs. red mouth, and an abundance
& # stiff brown hair all over itself. When
; standing. covers an area of a saucer. Al
tack /, with stick and it rears On IL hlad
d legs. pnashes 1T the stick aud fights like Z
Q liand. II even jumps forward a foot or t*'
! in its roge--and II il bite into a vein iht
. bne is de 4th! have been told OF ihe bat
' tie fought by one on board steamboat
il Discovered al the lower end Of the saloon,
! it came hopping up The saloon, driving the
!, whole b,ds Of passengers before IL, II al
e most drove the whole company, crew and
all, overheard.
d The first saw was a; the house OF a
friend. Ispied it crawling slowly over
| the wall, meditatlng murder upon the chi
: dren PLAYING in the room. Excessively
b prudent in regard to my fingers, at last
. sIhowever. had it imprisoned in glass jar
J, Innburt. There was flaw in the glass
1 i,r. as well as hole in the cork by which
!. il could breathe; but in ten minutes i was
2 dead from rage! Soon after, killed three
| 1. -, ,t.o, .-,wlipu nonn prot,nI frod
ded every day by the bare ieet Of my little
boy. A month after, killed whole nest
] of them They had formed their family cir,
Gle under door step, upon which the atore
/. sid lille fellow PLAYED daily. Hnd he seen
j me If them he would Of course, have pick
ed i, up as promising toy; aud ! would
have been childless.
/ was sitting one day upon log 10 the
, woods. when saw one slowly crawl out
| 10 enjoy the evening air and the sunset
!, scenery. He was the largest, most bloat-
ed one ever saw. As was about 10 Kill
f him, was struck with the conduct OF q
j.. chance wasp. 1t too, had seen the taran
|tula, and was flying slowly around it
The tarantula recognized il ass foe; and
/ throwing itself upon It's hind legs, brea'hed
defiance. For some time the wasp flew
q around it, and then, like fash. flew rlghl
!, ~ Inst il, and s,ung it under its bloited
! belly. The torantula gnashed lis red and
venomed jaws. and threw its long and
hairy legs about in impo'ent rage, while
the wasp flew round and round il. watch
ing ior another opportunity Again anf
again did il dash its sting into the reptile
and escape. After the sixth stab, the IA
ranlula actually fell over on its back dead
and the wasp, after making itself sure Of
{ the fact, and lntficting last sing 10 make
matters sure, few off, happy in having
done duty assigned il in creation.
THE Bible exchange paper
speaking Of the spread OF ChrlstlanltN.
+ states that Abner kneeland and his assaci
q a,es went to Iowa with The fixed purpose T.
take possession of the State, and who'll
: Iexclude the Bible. They did all they
could to enlist intilels in the enterprise,
. and labored with all their might TO bring
i all around them under the power Of unbe-
lief hut disappointment awaited them. -