Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-12-27
The TEXAN TARaNTULA.
an Object of Terror to All Save It's Deadly
Foe, the Wasp.

Philadelphia Ledger.
Apropos 10 brief reference in the
LeGger g few days ago to the insect re-
ported to be me deadly enemy Of the
huge spider called the tarantuls. Dr..
Horn, PhiIaGel phia's distinguished ento-
mologIst, sends Us the following:
''In the not too fertile parts of the re-
gion from Texas 10 California lives a
large spider known TO the inhabitants as
the tarantuia and to naturalists as mygale
hentZili. Its body is two inches or more
in length, clothed in rusty-brown hair,
the legs long. and when extended cover
ing an oval of four By five inches. As
may be imagined, the mygale Is not q
handsome insect, and, while 1t is look ed
upon with terror by most people, no one
cares to handle If unless quite certain it
is dead.
In place of the web which usually
forms the house of spiders the mygale
excavates a burrow in the loose soil, from
which it wanders in search of its prey.
consisting principai of members of the
grasshopper family or ciaades. The
jaws are large and powerful, armed with
long, sfout fahgs, with which they eau
pierce and kill their prey. One fulI meal
eral weeks. In fact, during the lnoulting
period they remain torpid and take no
food.
During It's growth the mygale makes
an unknown. rumber Of mounts, that Is, it
sheds It's outer coat when that has become
uuoomfortably close-fitting, in the same
manner as the common crab of our coast
At these times members lost from the
l. Ax,Il. il.
if leg is lost the FIRST moult produces
perfectly formed but short leg, subse-
quent moults increasing the size of the
leg.
while the mygale is a dread to most
forms of insect life, there is one OF which
1t in turn stands in mortal terror.
Abundant in the same regions is large
wasp, with blush green body and golden
REQ wings. The body is about two inches
long, the spread of wings nearly an inch
greater. These wasps (pepss formosa)
fly up easily about in search of food fer
themselves until they discover Garantu-
Ia, when more definite course of action
is assumed. The flight of the wasp is
now il circles around is prey, gradually
approaching it, the mYgale meanwhile, in
terror, showing fight, standing semi erect
Ou bie TWO nlHuer pairs OF legs. IaVDr-
able opportunity presenting, the wssp
stipgs the spider and renews the circle
flight. repeating the sting until the spider
becomes com pletely paralyzed. When
the wasp is assured of the heI plessness of
the spider it seizes him and drags him to
a previously prepared pest. The eggs of
the wasp are then deposited and the
spider covered up. The eggs soon hatch.
the spider is gradually eaten, and new
wasp appears to repeat the action of its
parent.
by the sting of the wasp the spider is
not killed, simply paralyzed, SO that dur
ing the time it is being fed upon it re-
tains vitality, furnishing living food to
the newly Matched larvae, which, by q
curious instinct, feed first on those parts
of the spider not essential TO the main
tanning Of the little vitality remaining.
sour common mud wasp, chiaybion,
has similar habits. It's nests, made of
elastic mud, are familiar TO most people,
as they are found abundantly in sheltered
places abont barns and other outhouses
These, when opened, will be found filed
with spiders, in the hel pless condition al
ready men tioned, among them larvae
and some partly eatenspider.