The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-23
SILK SPINNING SPIDERS.

SILK Is formed OF nbrinei the huDhtauco OF tue
hbres, with coating of albumen, q layer Of gola-
tine and some fat and coloring matter. The
chief spinners Of silk are caterpillars. Maggots,
or larycs, are the spinners which clothe the fair
sex Of the nominal species in silken attire. The
attempts TO make something useful ofthe silk ofin-
secs more especially called SPIDERS have all ended
hitherto in nothing better than the production OF
curiositios. Gloves and purses made of spider
silk may sometimes be seen in museums. But
gloves and purses arc sold and bought in the cities
Of the Mediterranean, which have been woven Of
the silk spun by shell.ish OF the pima kind.
For that matter have seen a purse which WAS
knitted of the f5rcs o. the mineral called
asbestos.
The newspapers Of Vienna, some years back,
mentioned that several pairs of excellent silk
stockings had been knitted Of spider silk but the
news, as the French say, awaits confirmation.
Spider silk has however, it appears to be estab-
lshcd by sufficient testimony, been successfully
used as thread. spider Is found on the island
Of St. Helena which is handsomely marked,
banded, and colorcd, the tibrcs Of the egg-bag Of
which might be used rs silk and the ladies Of
the Bermudas actually use the silk Of spiders for
sewing purposes. The silk Of q spider common
in the Bcrmudas, EDeira cldripcs, is so strong
that It can be wound rom the insect itself like
cotton from a reel. The webs Of this spider
stretch ten feet across between the cedar trees,
catching large insects and small birds-l certain
proof that their threads rival cotton threads in
strength
In reference to the practical, industrial, and
commercial question Of the utility OF spider silk,
it is AN important fact that their webs are strong
enough 10 hold small birds. When Mad. Merriam
first published this fact, it was stoutly denied by
the stay at home naturalists the regular critics
of travellers tales. Here is specimen of the sort
Of experiment upon the results of which the te3-
timOny of observers is often gainsaid, and even
their vCraCity and good faith called in question.
Madame Merriam having said there were spiders
which shared and dcyOured birds, u naturalist
wounded hummng bird and offered 10 To q
mygale. But the mygale, instead of attacking the
bird, rCtreated from IL with fear or aversion.
Confident in the result Of his experiment, the
naturalist secuted the story Of the bird-eatlng
spider Yet it has been repeatedly confirmed
since, and never was improbable.
NJ. Moreau de Jonnes says that the South
America mygale climbs trees, to deyour the
young hummng- birds and Mr.. II. w. Gates saw
in Brazil TWO little iinChes cutangled in the web of
grey.brOwn mygalc. The fnChCs he judged to
be male and female; one was dead; and the other
was under the body otthe hdeous spider. Threads
strong enough to hold birds may well be used tJr
sewing purposes by ladies resident in hot cOun-
tries abounding in such spiders. Even men of
business have tried to turn spider silk TO practical
account. "M. Bon, Frenchman, and NJ. Ere
never q SpauiaTd," says Mr.. Blackwell, "haye
succeeded in fabrcating stockings, gloves, purses
and other articles, of the silk produced by spiders
but the great yoracity of these animals, and the
difficulty experienced in providing them with
food, have hitherto prevented this material from
being made available for manufacturing purposes
on an extensive scale"
May it not be that the authors Of these expert
mental enterprises have attempted too much II
il could be established that spider silk makes
good silk thread, much would be gained for the
use of mankind although the material might
never be made available for purses, gloves, or
stockings. Curious calculations have been made
in reference to the production, the relative pro-
duCton, of spider aud caterpillar silk. A spider,
! it is said, lays six eggs for one egg laid ny
moth, yet the moth makes twelve times as much
| silk as the spider. Two thousand three hundred
| and four Catcrpillars make as much silk as
| twenty-seven thousand six hundred and forty
| eight spiders of the house spider species. The
| proportional strength of the thread of the silk
moth and of the thread Of house spider Is said
10 be five 10 one in favor Of the silk moth.
Spiders moreover, are shockingly addicted TO
eating each other--a taste Of which the silkwOrm
is innocent. Many siX-footed animals make
silk, and only one species Of them all has yet
been discovered suitable for the purposes Of the
silk-weaver-the silkworm of the mulberry tree
The experiments with all the numerous other
species have disappointed the sanguine hopes en-
tertained. When we remember how little spider
| have been hunted, collected, studied, and bred
in comparison with utterilies-cntomologyb being
a popular, and arachnoOgy an unpopular scienc,
may we not hope that species Of spider vii
yet be found yielding SILK suitable LOT inc manu-
mcture Of stockings, or gloves, or thread Thi
discovery awaits the successful student Of all tn
| spinning animals.
There are not merely mollusks which fastCI
themselves TO rocks and seaweeds by means q
cables OF sikeu threads; there is a shell-hs
which lets itself down from floating weeds IN h
ocean as a spider hangs by a thread from tn
| bushes in the garden. This shellish is the LHOp
JoDlbir Of Keiuer and Of Sanders Rang. tn
. vast masses, large as islands, of sea-weed wn.c
R0at upon the steaming surface of the uopics
seas, have many strange inhabitants, and, anon
them, this little knowing spinning pcuWinkl
| Even the cable or byssus Of the mu ,sels an
| the soft, supple, numerous and warm threads
| the pima, are fabrics the manufacture OF whiC
q is but imperfectly known.
D | The spinning apparatus of the musselis situate
at the base OF what is called the foot; the spil
ming apparatus Of most Of the insects issues fro
the lower jaw yet the silk ducts of the siX-toot(
IS insects called Myrmeleon, like those of all q
n | eight-footed group, are located at the eX'reml
', of the abdomen. The word cocoon is proper
s. enough applied to bags spun by SPIDERS for th'
,r are really egg-bags; but 1t is not correctly u.s.
e | when applied TO the cases spun by insects, ~
d into which they enclose themselves as In hat
c mOcks, or sleeping cothns, when passing from &
state of laryes 10 the condition OF chrysaides.
e Certain insects spin tents, in which they live
le common; but it has only quite recently be
10 proved that any spiders can cooperate to 81
II either a web or an abode. But both insects a
s spiders spin to shut up the cavities into viii
Is they retire, and 10 tie together the materials
which they build dwellings. A British spiC
has been seen often, and lost sight OF now tOl
~. long time, which makes raft on which il hD
upon the surface OF pools and bitches, by tyi
dry weeds together. On spying an lns
IN drowning in the water, this spider quilted
jy raft for an instant 10 seize his prey, returning