The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1883-04-07
SPIDERS.

What funny fellow spider Is, with
his smooth round eyes, his eight logs,
not all of the same length, and all on
the fore part of his body, his utter abb
sen Of neck, and king Fruce not
withstandng) his apparent lack OF
ears! He is not very pretty. neither,
though, like the rest Of rs, 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.
port mites. When he comes out of the
egg aud takes his first look around, he
is as like his mother rs a smAl lea To Il
big one That fine appetite OF bis soon
craves attention. and as no nurse ninNcs
her appearance he con rives to shift for
himself. Not wise enough yet to spin
a proper web, he shoots o 1 a long
stra ght thread, lets it stream in the
wind until the far end is caught and
held fast by some ncghboring object.
then fastens the other end, watches for
his breakfast, and presently enjoys IL.
Breakfast is n lendid meal To all who
earn before they eat it.
Spiders soon become expert weavers.
heir 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 a + 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 o hairs. Yet the spiders
OF Bermuda m Ike ropes forty feet lon :,
strong enough to cat birds as large as
thrushes; and there are spiders webs
in The forests of Java VIII oh 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 II microscope yo will
see that, while the straight threads
in it are per ectly smooth, the cir
cular breads are covered With mute
drops glue These act like a 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 well as webs. Have you never.
when pulling down the river in boat,
felt all at once that something like a
That was spiders bridge. When
about to construct such a bridge he
turns his nipples TO the wind, darts out
thread which is instantly carried over
the water and twisted round some
branch upon the other side, and behold,
natural suspension bridge Hundreds
of futtering gnats will pay toll to the
warden OF that bridge, and none OF them
ever "do it again. Dr. Lister says
II one day, observing The air full Of
webs, forthwith mounted the top of the
highest steeple on the minister TAT
York;. and could there discover the
spiders exceedingly high above me. =
You have only to select fine. clear day
in autumn, when there is little or no
W nd aud from the top OF tower you
too may see the spiders on their airy
ladders, sailing without wings. But
beware the edge o. the tower for you
can not sail that way in the bitches of
Norfolk a certain spider makes itself
raft of weeds-Sindbad' tub would be
a giant to it--and, floating on its fragile
skiff, rescues drowning flies, but. Ike
wrecker, emptes their chests. There
are spiders that can walk on water,
others thar can run not swim in il,
one that makes diving. bell in which
it hunts over the Shiny bottom of green
pools, and one that actually forms a dry
house underneath the waves. Some sit
in the center of their web like cat
watching mouse-hole. One spins
tunnel. where it lies in wait until the
shaking of its net announces that sup
per is provided.
| stand up for the spider. One who
Is wiser than men has instructed it to
seek its prey. With one of its big claws
il inilicts death blow, and through
kind OF pore in the claw a drop OF poison
passing into the victims body puts it in
stantly out OF pain. wish the slaugh-
ter indicted b. human sportsmen were
always as jpstifiab'e and as merciful.
The great bird catch'ng spiders of
Martinique do rot spin webs. They hunt
at night, have eyes which shine like these
D. cat: and some nocturnal moths, can