The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-12-03
SPIDERS Ar VAR.

The garden spider EEeft6 d'dGt MAJ
is evidently guided to her prey more
by touch than sinht.
Unlike the common house spider,
which rusles straight at her prey, and
draos il at on in her mouth into her
den to he killed and eaten in the dark
ness. the geometric spider, even if a ily
be caught near her hiding place, runs
first to the centre to discover the
whereabouts Of her prey. Unlike the
common house spider, too, she Kills
the flv on the web where it is caught
the rapid death Of the victim, showing
she virulence of the spiders poison,
which is distilled into the wound
through hollow fangs like those oil
serpent. If the fly be a small one-say
a midge-alId lies perfectly still when
caught. the spider vii! feel all the
strands in the centre round and round,
two or three times before tincIng on
which part of the net thelitte tItblt lies.
When Il wasp is caught, II the spider
cannot see her way TO safe po9iJloh
below she will either weave her enemy
in stronger mc.h. and wait till the
wasp is almost dead by exhaustion, or,
if her network be in danger of being all
broken up by such Il strong intruder,
she will cut the threads that hold 1T,
and let her dangerous customer go.
There is little black fly, shaped like
an ant, but smaller, often caught in
one of these circular nets, which fire.
quentlv escapes by wriggling itself
clear. Whether it is furnished with
some sharp weapon Of defense, or has
the power some beetles are well known
to possess of emitting n pungent es-
sence against its enemies, would be
difficult to determine; but the spider
soon beats q retreat when she finds she
has caught Tartar, and either allows
it to wrigole itself free, or waits as
convenient distance until the fly IL
completely exhausted bv its struggles.
Unless the fly killed on the open web
be very small one; the garden spider
does not carry her prey to her den IN
her mouth hut wraps il up in bundle
in kind of sling, and runs to her lair
with her victim hanging down behind
her-cleverly preventing the loosely
hung bundle from getting entan9led Oh
the way. Depositin@ the booty at the
entrance of her tunnel-sEaped home,
she quietly ENJOYS her meal, sucks the
body dry, usually removing all traces
of her recent slaughter. When an
other spider appears upon the scene,
however, her demeanOr is very differ
ent Gathering as many strands Of
her web rs possible in her saw like
-. ,,,Crrrifi,1 lAnl-
prOpOrtiOnatelv much more formidable
than those of liOn-she @ives them
violent shake, when the intruder gen
orally "cuts" and runs. IF the invader
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 en-
counter means death to one or both.
spreading out their legs on each side,
as if to guard against side attack,
aud reaching as far as possible with
their forelegs, they open wide their
Jaws and look very formidable indeed,
each presenting to the other 'hOrrid
front" 1t is a duel in which the one
that can plant the first blow conqueTs.
Once let the fangs Of the one I've plant
ed in the others body, and the one
seized will curl itself up and quietly
yield to an inevitable doom. 1t is a
question if in their personal encoun-
ters with each other, these cunning
creatures donot fight with a full knOwl-
edge of how to use the poisoned weap
ons independently of their fangs.
When approaching one anotherfor that
final grip both seem to dread, they will
stop, and place in their mouths first
one and then the ether 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 Il poison tip
ped weapon will eventually prove fatal?
Chambers journal.