Weekly national intelligencer., 1857-10-17
ASTONISHING FEAT.1

1
ious as not to find some admirers What cfo1
repulsiye as rats and spiders? Yet the London g.
ly finds something beautiful and oveable in tbez
former and Dr. Asa Fitch, in Harpers Monthly labors
to show that the latter delicate little Objects are wor
thy of our esteem and admiration He denies that their
bite is fatal to any but insects and extols their agility
adrotness, sagacy and herosm worthy of all praise
In support of these views he tells the following curious
story concerning heroic spider who captured snake
The affair off last summer in the store of Charles
Cook, in the village of Havana, Chemung county New
York, and is attested by the Hon. A. B. Dickinson Of
Corning, who himself witnessed the phenomena as did
more than hundred other persons
An ordinary looking spider of dark color its body
not larger than house fly had taken up its re-
sidence, appears the under side of shelf beneath
the counter of Mr.. Cooks store What NAV we suppose
the surprise and CONSERVATION of this little animal
on discovering snake about foot long selecting for its
abode the floor underneath only two three spans dis
tant from its nest 1t a silk snake which
perhaps had been brought into the store in
quantity of sawdust with which the floor had re-
Gently "carpeted." The spider was well aware, no
doubt that would inevitably fall prey this horrd
monster the first time should incauousy venture with
in its reach We should expect that avoid such hor-
rble doom would forsake its present abode and seek
retreat elsewhere But it improbable
that brood of its eggs young secreted the
spot which the parent foresaw would fall prey this
monster if they abandoned by their natural guar
dian and protector We conceive Of other motive
which would have induced the spider pertnaciously
to remain and defend that particular spot the immi
nent risk of her life when she could easily
fed and established herself in some secure else
where.
But how, we.may well ask, was possible for such
weak, tender little creature to conltar sc1s poWerf1
mall clad giant? What power had she to do any thing
which could subject the monster the slightest in
convenience or molestation Her ordinary resort that
of lettering and binding her victim by throwing her
threads OF cobweb around it. it is plain would be of no
more avail here than the cords upon the limbs of the un
shorn Sampson.
Aware that her accustomed mode of attack was use
less how did she acquire the knowledge and sapac;t
quse for devising another adapted exactly to the
case IN hand one depending upon the and ha
DTS OF the serpent to aid in rendering successful?
was sne aoe 70 perceive that it was in her to
WIND loop of her threads around this creatures throat
despite OF all his endeayors to foil her in this work
loop OF sufficient strength to hold him securely nowth
standing his struggles and wreathinps until by her
tackeke power she could gradually hoist him up from
tne noor thus literally hanging him by the neck until
he was dead for this the which this adroit 1T
e heroine actually performed, feat beside which all
the tabled exploits of Hercules in overpowerine lions
ana erpents and dragons sRk into utter nsignfcance
And who can that in the planning execution of
TINS stupendous achievement there was not foehouph
reasoning careful weighing of all the difficulties and
dangers and clear perception in the mind Of this little
creature that she possessed the ability accomplish
what she undertook in short exercise faculties of
much higher order than the instinct which is com
monty supposed to guide and govern these lower ami
mails In all their movements?
by what artice the spider able in the first of it
attack to accomplish what it did only conecture Z
as Its work not discovered un the daring and
difficult part of its feat had been performed When first
seen 1t had placed loop round the neck of the serpent
from the top of which singl. thread was carried up
ward and attached to the undersde the shelf where
by the head of the serpent drawn up about two 3
inches from the floor. The make moving rouusla01
round necessarily, in cirde as large its teksz
allow wholly unable to get its head down.ta.
withdraw it from the moose; while the b
der, exulting doubt in the succs1
which was beyond perad
ana anon passing doEn to the loop and
adding thereby an additional strand
u which new strard being tightly
head of the snake gradually more an
But the most curious and skiful pa
ance is yet to be told When it was il acfS
lown the thread to the loop, the reader viii ~
vas possible for the snake, by turning his head ~
upward to snap at and seize the spider in his
This had no doubt been repeatedly attempted IN the
Ter part of the conflict but instead of catching the n;
Ter his snakeship thereby had only caught himself in an
additional trap The spiasS probably By wa5ekiae eaea
ssssnn ed toward her, adrOitly, with her hfnd1
throwing thread around fly, ha
after another over the mouth Of
now perfectly muzzed by
placed over it vertically, and
pushed asunder by another
zontaly, my Informant
No muzzle of wire wi
animal could be woven
and the sn5
rate attempt to open N
threads upon a stretch
The snake continued
more slow, however, fro
spider continued to NOV
dually shortening it, unit
so far that only two or thr
touched the floor the sna piI
after he was first discovered
A more extraordinary feat IAN thai
spider performed is probably 6oVhere
snake foot in length hung by &common,
Truly, the is not to the swim nor
the strongt And this phenomenon may servo
to us that the intelligence with which the t..
endowed the humblest, feeblest Of his creatures
for enabling him to triumph in any emergency ii WIN
He places them, if they but exercise the facuk He h
given them. II is only the slohful cowardly tmoroo
that fall and they fail not much before their enem
as before their own supineness