Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-05-22
ASPINWALL SPIDERS.
The Big Insects Which Sometimes Come TO
America.

The Big Insects Which Sometimes Come to
Macon Telegraph.
''Look out for the tramps ~ said Cor
pus, the fruit dealer.
The Telegraph man was admiring the
bright buff color of bunch of bananas,
when big, ugly spider crawled out and
ambled along on the counter. He was
bundle of dark brown fuzz about the
size of your thumb, into which were
stuck several long, black legs.
He was tramp all the way from As
pinwalI.
And like tramp who had stolen ride
under freight car on brakebeam, his
legs seemed cramped from the long Jour-
ney in the crevices of bunch of bananas.
The poor fellow was at loss where to
go. He was thousands of miles from
home and friendless, for people do not
take kindly to big, ugly spiders. He was
a tramp and in strange country.
1--WE killed one here the other night
with body as big as biscuit. His body
popped like torpedo. They come often
in bananas, but we generally manage to
kill them. Up at the old store one made
his escape and made bis home under the
counter. Then another escaped, and for
a long time we lost sight of them. One
day we found web under the counter,
and on looking closer we found the home
of two tramps. They had raised large
family of spiders, and they were the
cutest little things you would care to
see. They ran nimbly into the web if
you made motion to strike them, and
many a day we have watched them simply
for the amusement. They caught
every fly that came within range, and
now and then bug happened within
their reach and varied their bill of fare.
Although we knew they were dangerous
pets, we did not disturb them for the rea-
son that they seemed to be industrious
fly catchers, and we're never inclined to
sting. One afternoon a new clerk saw
one big fellow run around corner of the
counter, and as he had never seen a
spider of such enormous size, he imagined
that to allow it to go at large was equiva-
lent to turning a tiger loose, and he
killed the pet. The others ran out, and
for about an hour the new clerk had
about as much as he could stand up to
killing spiders"
'.Do they ever bite?"
"Yes, but it is a rare occurrence.
They fight like wildcats, and they are
high-tempered, but they never trouble
any body unless aroused and leased. Al
though there are millions of punches of
bananas brought to this country every
season, and many thousand spiders
steals his way across with them, you
never hear of any one being stung. They
are very peculiar things, and differ wide
ly in their habits from the common
spider of this country, which makes
web like the center piece of rising sun
crazy quilt. They make kind of nest,
and then spread out lines of web in
every direction. On this angle line,
which is as small as silken thread, they
run with ease, hanging to it by their
long flexible legs. When danger threat
ems they have way of drawing in the
lines, and budding together, await the
attack of the foe. When thus disturbed
they make prodigious leaps and arrange
in circle around the nest, which they
guard with jealous care. Then, when
provoked, they run all over the attack
ing party. They are game and make
an ugly fight.