The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-01-28


lions
Not much good has ever been done with cob
webs sbndry attempts, we believe, have been
MADE TO render them available for textile pur-
poses. but none have AS yet fructfied into sue
cess. The silk has been found to be too intiuie;y
attenua'ed 70 be of much service in The loom,
though H. baIl-dress OF real cobweb would GER
taIniy b. the great millinery attraction oil the
evening Sick people and hpped people, 1ho
are always faneyipg strange things, nave
chosen to fancy cobweb-pills before now ana
friend Of the present writers was In the nab
II OF taking immense numbers OF these horri-
BILE looking pills, made OF the webs OF the
houses pider. There was not much effect
! therefrorn. far as the crtside world could
Judge, AS the poor gentleman soon fell vic tin
10 lis iatirmtIes.
Spiders, though so frightful,y ferocions, are
capable of some of the LENDER feelings" COM
mon 20 animated nature in general Deadii-
est enemies, they are also the most impass ion
ed mothers. The VOLTS pider, of hateful menu
ory, wiI, allow herself TO he torn limb from
limb, rather than tamely give up the bag of
eggs which she carries behind her; nay, she
has even hrayed the terrOrS OF the ant-ilon,
aud has remained a willing captive in his den,
because her cherished bag was there, and her
young embryos under process OF consumption
by their appropriations. Spiders eggs are at
first fat and soft, then are formed into SIob-
niles by the air, Inuch in the same way as uick-
silver runs into drops. The egg-nest is n half
sphere made of silk, then heaped up With eggs
ranged carefully and me'hodcally in an oval
over these the second half of the egg-nest Is
woven. as a lid, and behold the spherical nest
complete monster ball quite as large as a
pea. with multitude of little balls inside IL
- like the immense Easter suglr-egg which Is
sent out every year, bearing beneath It's huge
vaults a world Of smaller sugar-eggs, Tor the
tcicctation of countless young.
The IDEA OF the spider ma turaily brings win
il the idea OF the ny. The two are united IN
bonds as indissoiube. if not so loving, as those
which bound together The twin heroes Of SPAR
Ia. Where the one il. there will be found the
other: Il natural sequence un varying ana pro-
foundry logicai-a piece of natures own po-
iitical cconOmy-a practical treatise on the
connection between supply and d"mand-
Flies are curious little Creatures bold and
tinid, dainty and voracious, useful and annoy
ing, they are AZ once blessing and piagu" to
| man--preventing corruption, but destroying
h. gilded frames; clearing the ar, but spot
ting his window panes. IN me bright sumner
mornings, too, when they buzz over the sleep
ing face, and let down their long pToDosuis III
to the reia Xed pores OF the warm, moist skin.
they are sufficiently dis2gTeeable and no
thought ofa,l the good he has done out III the
nelds. and lanes. and streets can awaken the
smallest sentiment OF gratitude, or weaken IN
tue iatnteSt degree the euIniiy which one feels
towards that winged monster who Is Robin
lis uf onr inatutnal sinmbers.
The first thing 10 be considered in a iy-say,
the common houseny (liR>ca domeStica)-i
its head; for in It's head and feet lie almost all
the chief points of the interest and mystery of
its structure. Under the microscope Won see,
in front df its forehead, pair of short anten-
me- or teelers, composed OF six joints, the third
u! which is d:iated and much larger than the
rest; while the sixth Is covered with an ar
bcrescent tut OF bristies, and is termed Il
plninoSe Joint. The function Of this pIumose
join seems TO he that of protecting the laird
from any Injury, dust, or rough winds; for
" hen al rest these autenu;c fold up and in
ward lying in depression in the 1.y's head ;
but The pinmose joint protrudes like Il brush
and keeps oil al. such harm as itmay. With Il
"a in aflXE RI ID6 asi1
Hrged third Join is found 10 ha covered with
minute sacs or ducts bearing shor;, fine hairs,
the L>a OF which Is not yet unoers TODD, Some
natuIaiists make the aaiennse organs oil hear
ing; Others OF sound others, of feeling, and So
on the truth i, very little Is absolutely known
yea about The more delicate parts of INSECT or
glnIzaiion, and conjecture must not be allowed
TO sOifiiiV into assertion. The ewes OF flies
have long been stock pieces OF wondeimeut.--
Two compound eyes OF large dimensions, cut
into four thousand convex 1acets-each facet or
lens "A perfect organ OF yislon--aud three small
er eyes, of sim Die structure, placed in q tri-
argie be. Ween the two compound eyes afford
ampe space for any amount OF WOnderment.-
Bu. here, again. we have only conjecture and
hypothesis 10 help Us on. 1t IS supposed that
one set OF eyes reflects distant, The other set
near objects but this idea has not been proved
or v orhed out IN any satisfactory manner as
yet, though We never know when burst #
microscopic revelation may not GENE upon
The uiehted world. With eight thousand
aud ;nrce rellect organs OF vision, ofaii living
creatures the liy ought ~ be least liable 10 be
'',akeH III
Tie wings are made OF two membranes both
tran sparent. and between which blood YES SER
and Attitudes ramify. foruiuga beautiful net
work. over which these dlaphanouS mem oraGes
stretched. Aeeommon hou>e-iiy makes
hundred strokesAyith lis wings, aud goes five
feet every second ii Il harmed, 1t can 90 from
thirty to 81 Itiy- H'0':ieel second. The num-
Der Of sis & asS.s iH;s WAS disco verrd in
sounds ca1S.lne into musical note. tha.
changes its j,och according rs the vibrations
Increase or diminish The buzzing of the fly
* also muSicai Eole; and an Instrument has
been made, ''wherein multiplying wheel, with
given number OF cogS against which spring
strikes, is made 10 reVolVe rapidly and thus
produces note. which is set in unison with
that made by The fiys wings. By these simple
means il IS easily ascel tanned what number of
vibrations the wings have made, by the num-
Der ct revolutions necessary 10 obtain note
OF the same musical pitch. The vibrations OF
the common Cnat are uted III many thou
sands a second; but NnNca i0D'esttca satisfies
herself. as we have seen, with six hundred
only.
We come now 10 the foot which has been so
long IL IeXed question among naturalisis,
long the baftie- tieid of all sorts OF opposing
theories. First. a fiy's foot was an exhausted
receiver or suckins-pulnn, and held on to glass
aud other smooth things against gravity aud
Newton's apple by reason Of atmos pheric
pressure: then 1t WAS L self-actii,g glue pot,
which fastened it, like a Nuremberg cow, With
all SIX legs well summed down; then it was
an Assem- blage Of grapIiirg -irons, which hook
ea On oail The small inequalities 10 be found
even in glass or marble: and now, it is COM
promise of all these modes and theories which
Is perhaps the safest kind of thing TO make.
" hen treating OF natural history and micro
scopic revelations In the first place, We see
always under the microscone--two movable
claws, like cows horns, by which The fly can
hook himself on to any microscopic rocks or
lodges that may present themselves: then we
STE n pair OF pads, shaped not unlike the head
OF a battledore and which pads were supposed
to be the suckers initiated by Hcrrio Nalo
when he walked across the ceiling OF the thea
tire, but are now found to be simple cushions
for the cows horn claws. These pads are
covered with ipnsmerabie hairs, and at the
extremity of each hair Is Il minute drop of
fluid, which gave rise to theglue-pot theory
But these little hairs are now supposed to be
SO many tiny sucking discs, which last sup
position unites all the varying forms of faith
ihto one comprehensive and harmonious
whole. Claws for catching hold pads for the
protection OF those claws, and 10 preserve
them from abrasion with cats aud lions,
tigers and pumas and IL countless number Of
sucking discs and giue-pots coniclned-surely
the most fastidious could not wish for more
than these which, unlike con-
cessions in general. receive and enlarge, not
eject or retract Flies die of IA very singular
disease; they are attacked by kind OF fungus.
which perhaps Will be found by future in
vestigators to be a living parasite; and when
they die of this disease they are found in ex-
acIy the attitude life, but surrounded by IA
halo, OF about an inch in diameter, formed of
Whltish dust, consisting Of the spores or seeds
Of Il fungus. In this disease, the fungus grows
out from between the Rugs OF the abdomen,
pushing them apart, while it protrudes in
large white prominent zones, growing rank
ana high. The insect is completely dry aud
friable crumbling to dust if touched and fur
Their examination shews shat the whole of the |
of the body of the fly have been con-
,utnpd nv rhp nara il tie yrDWAb and that no. |