Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-06-26
The Spider and the Snake.
ASTONISHING FEAT OF HOUSE SPIDEI

Astonishing FEAT OF HOUSE SPIDER.
1t would seem that there is no living thing
so obnoxious as not to find some admirers.
What creatures so repulsive as rats and
spiders Yet the London Quarterly finds
something beautiful and even loveable in
the former, and DR., A. Fitch, in llarper's
Monthly, labors to show that the latter
delicate little objects are worthy OF our
esteem and admiration, He denies that
their bite is fatal to any save insects, and ex-
tolls their agility, adroitness, sagacity and
heroism as worthy of all praise. In sup
port of these views he tells the following
curious story concerning a heroic spider who
captured a snake. The affair came off last
summer, in the store of Charles Cook, in
the village of Havana, Chemung county, n.
Y, and is attested by the Hon. a. B. Dick
inson; of Corning, who himself witnessed
the phenomenon, as did more than hun
dred other persons.
An ordinary looking spider of q dark
color its body not larger than that of a
common house fly, had taken up its resi-
dence, 1t appears, on the under side of a
shelf beneath the counter of Mr. Cook s
store. What may we suppose was the
surprise and CONSERVATION OF this little ami
nal on discovering a snake about foot
iOhGi oSiSStih6 ipi ile uJOut tIc hOul uuucl-
meath, only two or three spans distant
from its nest 1t was common milk snake
which, perhaps, had been brought into the
store unseen in a quantity of saw dust with
which the floor had been recently 'carpeted'
The spider was well aware, no doubt, that
it would inevitably fall q prey to this hor-
rid monster the first time it should incau-
tiously venture within it's reach We
should expect that to avoid such fright
ful doom, it would forsake its present home
and seek more secure retreat elsewhere
But 1t is not improbable that brood Of its
| eggs or young was secreted near the spot, =,
which the parent ioresaw would fall prey
to this monster We can conceive of no
other motive which should have induced the
| spider so pertinaciously to remain and de-
iend the particular spot at the imminent
risk of her own lie, when she could so
easily have fled and established herself IN
some secure corner elsewhere. But
how, we may well ask, was it possible for
such weak, tender little creature to com
bat such powerful, mail giant -
What power had she to do anything which
could subject the monster to even the
slightest inconvenience or molestation .
Her ordinary resort, that of lettering and
binding her victim by throwing her threads
OF cobweb around it, it is plain,i would be
Of no more avail here than the cords upon
the limbs of the unshorn Sampson. Aware
that her accustomed mode of attack was
useless how did she acquire the knowledge
and sagacity requisite for deyising another
adapted so exactly to the case in hand-onC
depending upon the structure and habits OF
the serpent to aid in rendering it success
ful How was she able to perceive that il
was in her power to wind loop Of hel
threads around this creatures throat, des
pite of all his endeayors to foil her in thi
work-a loop of sufficient strength to holC
him securely, notwithstanding his struggle
and writings, until by her tackle-lik
power she could gradually hoist him NJ
from the floor, thus literally hanging hin
by the neck until he was dead tor TIN
was the feat which this adroit little heroin
actually performed feat beside which al
tabled exploits Of Hercules IN overpowerin
lions and serpents and dragons sink int
!, utter insignificance And who can sa
that in the planning and execution Of thi
, stupendous achievement, there was nc
iorethought, reasoning, a careful weighn
of all the difficulties and dangers, and
clear perception in the mind of this littl
creature that she possessed the ability I
accomplish what she undertook in short
an exercise OF faculties of a much highe
order than the mere instinct which is cou
monty supposed to guide and govern thes
lower animals in their movements
BY what artfce the spider was able j
the first of its attack to accomplish what
did, we can only conjecture, as its work wa
| not discovered until the most difficult an