The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-03-31
FLY-CATCHERS.

What funny fellow spider is, with
his smooth round eyes, his eight legs,
not all of the same length, and all on
the fore part of his body, his utter alb
sence of neck, and king Pruce not
withstanding) his apparent lack of
ears! He is not very pretty, neither,
though, like the rest of us, he can not
help that! But he is clever, and as
Agur SAYS, " taketh hold with his
hands" and makes the most of his OPP
portunities. When he comes out of the
egg and takes his first look around, he
is as like his mother as small pea to
big one. That fine appetite of his soon
Graves attention and as no nurse makes
her appearance he con rives to shift for
himself. Not wise enough yet to spin
"a proper web, he shoots o It a long
straight thread, lets it stream in the
wind until the far end is caught and
held fast by some neighboring object,
then fastens the other end, watches for
his breakfast, and presently enjoys it.
Breakfast is a splendid meal to all who
earn before they eat it.
Spiders soon become expert weavers.
Their webs are usually spun in dry
weather. Coming as size from six tiny
nipples at the end OF the animal, the
material is hardened by the into fine
threads, woven into silky strands; and
then wrought into network by the little
creatures limbs. Ten thousand of
those fine threads do not equal in thick
ness one of hairs. Yet the spiders
OF Bermuda m Ike ropes forty eet lon :,
strong enough to catch birds as large as
thrushes; and there are spiders webs
in the forests of Java VIII CHI must be cut
with knife before men can pass
through them. The web of an English
house-spider will last for months and
even years, and is of the same texture
throughout. But that of the Diadem,
or garden spider, is composed of
two kinds of silk. If you look at
one through a microscope yo' will
see that, while the straight threads
in it are perfectly smooth, the cir
cular threads are covered with minute
drops of glue. These act like lined
twig, holding every trespasser until the
constable comes up to arrest him, AND
as the glue dries by exposure the cir
cular threads are renewed every day,
Spiders can make bridges and ladders
as we'll as webs. Have you never
when pulling down the river in boat
felt all at once that something like {
fine hair had swept across your face
That was a spiders bridge. Wher
| about to construct such a bridge hi
turns his nipples to the wind, darts on
o thread which is instantly carried ovel
the water and twisted round some
branch upon the other side, and behold
natural suspension bridge! Hundred
of fluttering gnats will pay toll to thu
warden OF that bridge, and none OF then
ever lido it again" DIR. Lister says
~ one day, observing the air full o
webs, forthwith mounted the top of thu
highest steeple on the minister "a
York;, and could there discover thu
spiders exceedingly high above me.
You have only to select fine. clear da,
in autumn, when there is little or NJ
wind, and from the top OF tower yol
too may see the spiders on their air.
ladders, sailing without wings. Blu
beware the edge OF the tower. for yo'
can not sail that way! In the bitches o
Norfolk q certain spider makes itself
raft of weeds-Sindbad' tub would b,
a giant to it-and, floating on its fragil
skiff, rescues drowning flies, but, like
wrecker, empties their chests! Their
are spiders that can walk on water
others that can run mot swim) in il
one that makes a diving bell in whicl
it hunts over the Shiny bottom of gree
pools, and one that actually forms dr.
house underneath the waves. Some 81
in the center of their web like a ca
watching a mOuse-hole. One spins
| tunnaI where IL lies in wait mill tn