The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-07-16

ASTONISHING FEAT OF A HouSL SPIDER.
IL would Seem that there is no living thing
80 obnoxious as not to 6rd some admirers -
What creature 80 repulsve as rats and spiders?
Yet the London Quarterly finds something
beautiful and even lovable in the former, aud
Dr.fAsa Fitch, in Harpers' Monthly, Iabors to
: rhow that the latter '.dcicate little obiects''
> are worthy of our esteem and admiration, lie
denies tha, their bite is fatal to any save insect.
aud exiol then agility, ad,oitness, sagacity and
heIoisin worthy OF all praise. In support
1T these views he tells the following curious
yefory conserving heroic spider who captured
snake. The affair came off last summer, in
the store Of Chas, Cook, in :he village Of Ha-
!. yana, Chemung Co., N. Y ,.and Is attested by
the Hon. A. b. Dickinson, Of Corning, who
himself witnessed the phenomena, as did more
than a hundred other persons.
an ordinary looking spider OF a dark color,
its body not larger than, that Of a com,nos
house fly, had taken up its residence, il appears
on the under side of shelf beneath the coun-
ter ofMr. Cooks store. What may we sup-
Jose wasthe surprise and consterIation of this
little animal on discovering snake about IA
foot long selected for its abode the ioor be-
meath, only two or three spans dist ance from
,'s nest. u was acommon silk snake which,
perhaps, had been brough. into the store un
seen lis a quantity Of sawdust with which the
floor had eenrece,ily 'scarpete,i.', The spi-
dc; was. well aware, no doubt, that Al would
inevitably TALL a pray TO this horid mouster
the first tisac it should incautioasly venture
within reach. We should ex peot That TO avoid
sue frighfal doom, il would forsake lis pse-
sent abode. and seek more secure retrea.
elsewhere. But it is not Improbable that
brood of its eggs or young was secrc,ed near
the spoil which tie parent forsaw would fall
apray tothis monster il they were abardon,d d
by their hatsrai guardian and protector. We
an conceive OF no other motive which could
have induced the spider so oertinacionsly to
remain and defend thai particular spot at the
imminent risk of hel own life, when she coald
soeasily have fed and established herself in
some secure corner elsewhere. -
P But how, we may well ask. was il possible
for such weak, tender little creature I, com
hat such powerful, maii-clad giant? What
power had She to do anything which could sub
leetthe monster to even the slightest inconvsn-
,epce or nolestation? Her ordinary resort,
that Of lettering and binding her victim by
throwing her threads pf cobwed around ii, it
j; plain, would be OF no more avail here than
she cords upon the limbs Of the unshorn Sam
sen.se sAgMesihath her accustomed mode II at
tack was useless, how did she acquire the
knowledge and'ssgaeity requisite for de.ising
another, adapted SO exactly TO the case in hand
-one depending upon the the structure and
habits Of the serpent to aid in rendering it sue
cessful? How was she able to perceive that
it was in her power toa~ind loop of her
threads around this creatures threat, despite
of all hia endeayors TO foil her in this work
"a ioopof sufficient strength 10 held him Sc
curely, Notwithstanding his struggles and wri-
things, until by her tackle-like power she could
gradually hoist him up from the floor, thus
literally hanging him by the neck until he was
!. dead? fog this was the feat which this adroit
little heroine actually performed-a feat be-
side which all the fable exploits of Hercules
in overpowering lions and serpen.s and dragons
sink into utter insignihc sueess And who can
say that in the planning and execution Of this