The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-11-24

The garden spider (Eperid dia-
deHlO) is evidently guided to her
prey more by touch than sight:

The garden spider Opera dia-
demo) is evidently guided to her
prey more by touch than sight:
The SPIDERS touch how cxquisitelY fine.
Feels a, each thread, and lives along the line.
mike the common house spider
which rusbes straight at her prey,
and dregs it at once in her mouth in
to her den to be killed and eaten in
the darkness, the geometric spider,
even If q fy be caught near her hid
ing place, runs first TO the centre to
discover the whereabouts OF her
prey. Unlike the house spider, too,
she kills the fly on the web where it
is caught; the rapid death Of the
rictim, showing the virulence of the
SPIDERS poison, which il distilled in
to the wound through hollow faDgs,
like those of serpent. II the fly be
a small one-ssy a midge-and lies
perfectly still when caught, the spi-
der will feel all the strands in the
center round and round, two oil three
times before finding on which part of
the pet the little titbit lies. When a
wasp is caught, if the spider cannot
see her way to q safe position below,
she will either weave her enemy in a
stronger mesh, and wait till the wasp
is almost dead by exhaustion, or, if
her network be in danger of being
ell broken up by such a strong intru-
der, she will cut the threads that
hold it, and let her dangerous Gus
toner go. There is a little black fly,
shaped like an ant, but smaller, often
caught in one of these circular nets,
which frequently escapes by wrig-
Cling itself Gear. Whether il is fur
nisbed with some sharp weapon of
defense, or has the power some bee
ties are well known to possess OF
emitting q pungent essence against
its enemies, would be difficult TO de-
termine; but the spider 500 beats a
retreat when she finds she has caught
q Tartar, and either allows il to
wriggle itself free, or waits at q on
venient distance until the ny is COM
pletely exhausted by its struggles.
Unless the fly killed on the open web
be a very small one, the garden spi-
der does not carry her prey to her
den in her mouth, but wraps it up in
a bundle in O kind Of sling, and runs
to her lair with her victim hanging
down behind her-cleverly prevent
ing the loosely hung bundle from get
ting entangled on the way Depos-
iting the booty at the entrance of
her unnel-shaped home, she quietly
enjoys her meal, sucks the body dry,
usually removing all traces of her
recent slaughter. When another
spider appears upon the scene, how
ever, her demeanor is very different.
Gathering as many strands of her
web as possible in her saw like claws,
which, when magniGed, look proper
tionately much more formidable than
those of q lion-she gives them a Vi
client shake, when the intruder gen.
orally "cuts" and runs. If The inva-
der declines to move on when thus
warned, but shows fight instead, it is
curious to mark the cautious way
they approach each other, evidently
conscious the encounter means death
to one or both. Spreading out their
legs on each side, as if to guard
against o side attack, and reaching
as far as possible with their forelegs,
they open wide their jaws and look
very formidable indeed, each present
ing to the other a "borrid front" 1t
is a duel 10 which the one that can
plant the first blow conquers. Once
let the fangs of the one be planted
in the others body, and the one seiz-
ed will curl itself up and quietly
yield to an inevitable doom. 1t is a
question if, in their personal encoun-
tiers with each other, these cunning
creatures do not fght with a full
knowledge of how to use the poison
ed weapons Independently Of their
fangs. When approaching n an
otner for that FINAL grip both seem to
dread, they will stop, aud place in
their mouths first n and then the
other claw of the long forelegs, with
which it is part of their strategy to
overreach each other. For what
|, purpose? Is it to dip the claws in
their poison bags or glands, knowing
that a single scratch inflicted on the
body Of an adversary by a poison
tipped weapon will eventually prove
fatal?-Chdmber's Journal.