The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-07
SPARKS O. SCIENCE.


BIC SPIDERS.
It's the funnics trade IN ihe world. Kai'
i ing spiders TO sell then nests. "hat doe
II ANYBODY want OF II SPIDER s-hest ana WI
would have thought that tfaiilc couid ID
created in such curious goods? But therc ]
I a Yank ec--ul course Hc Is Il ahkee-oVcr Il
: San Francisco, who does raise spiders, AM
does sell their ncsls,-ul handsome profit,
10 IA Inc homeland wc nave one before III
which we Shall describe. Ou,war1ly II pre-
! sents the appearance OF IL red ball Of earth
about an inch and u halt IA diam ter and al
inch in height. On inG ilatlcncd top, lin
describes "A semiCirclc III the Centre. Lifln!
I'D the ball, il Is discovered 10 be tube or
tunnel, open al the bottom. q ntly thrusllns
the finger up through the hollow, ana press
ing on the ROOT, nd Is raised, which Is las
tened by a straight hinge halfinch long
and describes a semicrcle with its free edge
The inner surface ui the tube is smooth "a
satin; in fact, it is lined with satin, which eX
tends over the straight line Of the LID, form
ing hinge, and then expands INTO inning
for the lid itself Thus the interior oil tAls
rough. IRREGULAR sphere OF wood Is as neat,
and clean, ard cosy ii Hest as the danllest III
tic hOusckeeper COulu wish 10 abide IN. Now
fancy this red ball uHk in the ground, WIN
its lid on level with til surface, ana us Jun
mel prolonged TO the depth Of severai ihcnts'
or even of a foot or Two, and you nave 'he
home of the " TrapdoOr Spider" species oi
Mygalc.
The genus Mygale includes the large hairy,
formidable spiders called Tarantul!s several
species of which burrOw IN the ground. Inc
Wgqalc Ulufzit extends from Missouri south.
ward. and i, abundant IN Texas. 1t is graft
tying TO know that this venomous spider,
which gocs about like "A ravening wolf, fright
euing by lis ugly look and poisoning by It's
bite both men and beast, has deadly enemy
in a creature of It's own insect race, which de-
plctcs It's numbers and keeps them within
bounds. \ large species of the Mud-Dauber
group Of wasps tP0mpttHS f0rmos }, popularity
called The Tarantula-Killer, is the special foe
appointed by Nature TO harrass and destroy
the Nygle Henf.tj The Mud Daubers build
their cells Of moist earth, and into each one
introduce, along with single egg, the insect
which they have paralyzed with their sting
When The Iarva Of the wasp has left the egg,
ii feeds upon this insect which has been en-
closed within its cell, and which has under
zone no decomposition, having been rendered
helpless merely, and not lifeless, by the sting
If the mothcr-wasp. DR., q. Lincecum says
If the wasp mentioned:
THIS large and conspicuous insect is every
where in Texas called the Tarantula-killer,
nd Is over 2 inches in length; the head,
hroaX, abdomen, and long, spiry legs, are all
lack, while The wings are sometimes OF a
fright brown, with black spots at the tips. !
t Is armed with Il formidable sting, which is
invariably used when taking ITS prey. The |
ting does not kin the Mysale, but pdralyzes
t,-Suspends AL animation,- and in this state
"a ry "a a m
t is in a condition to resist decomposition
Jng time. nave sometimes found,
nder shelving rocks, and other sheltered
faces, Dau5ers' nests that were doubtless
everal years old. In some of the sells,
there the eggs have proven abortive the spi-
ers were there, still Timber with no signs Of
about them. They did not
.em TO be dead, but looked as if they could
lmost move their legs, and were pei haps not
unconscious OF their deplorable condition.
What horrible fate. Immured in living
,mb! We can almost forgive the Tarantula
" being SO ugly when we reflect upon this
ossiblc destiny that threatens every one of
ie species. In a farther account Of the Tar
ntulaKiller, DR. Lincccum says
1t occasionally happens, when one Of them
Icceeds in capturing IA Tarantula, that
mother one, or more, flying around in that
icinty, and smelling the odor that arises
ON the Taraantula-kille when she uses her
ing, which resembles the odor of the paper
aking wasp (VCspa), only much stronger,
kes the scent like a dog, tracks the Taran- o.,
LA, following it up closely, and makes a
olent effort 10 get possession of the paral-
led spider. A fight cnsucs, which occa-
onally terminates in the death OF both par
es; at other times the contest lasts but a {
Tile while, rs the stronger party drives of {
lie weaker, and takes possession of the prey {
Is surprising 10 one who has been educated {
believe that the faculty of reason belongs |
one to one man, TO contemplate the consul ,
ate ingenuity which is displayed by these t
lsects in their efforts TO secure their eggs !
on the observation o. their own thieving {
sters, and to hide the food they have pro 5
ded for their young during the period of its Il
Istence under ground i
The Mygale -iricnlartd, which inhabits the
Duntry bordering the Amazons, has IL body
early as large as that OF sparrow, and, with
s legs extended covers n space measuring,
ither way, from to 8 inches. II Is called
re Bird Spider, from its habits OF en,raping
irds and feeding upon the pieces. Mr.. II. /
Y. Bates, naturalis!s who spent eleven !.
ears in studying the fauna of the AmazOns,
nee NlutSoCu NHc 'dpIuiC VI u tDuplc Ol
,rGs by this spider. In describing the scene {
C writes:
In the course of our walk, | CHANGED to
crify II fact relating to the habits of u large
older, belonging TO the genus Mygale in IA 5
tanner worth recording. The species was !
(. ioicHldrid, or one very closely allied to
The individual was nearly 2 inches in
myth of body, but the legs expanded in.
hes, and the entire body and head where !
as attracted by the movement OF the mons
r on "A tree, across which was stretched
ense white web birds, finches, were entangld
the pieces. They were about the size of
ne English sislln, and judged the two TO
G male and female. One of them was quite
cad, and the other lay under the body of the
pider, not quite dead, and was smeared with
he filthy liquor or saliva by the mon
ter. drove away The spider and took the
'rds, but the second one soon died.
The Nggoie BioadH is distinguished by the
elbow stripes running down It's legs. This
: one OF the deepest burrowcrs, its tunnel
extending two feet into the ground They
ire lined, like The one we have described,