Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-12-24
T1omth' 8 Column.
Little Miss Muffet,
.Little Miss Muffet
Sat down on a tuffet,
Eating a curd of whey.
Along came spider
And sat down beside her,


Sat down tuffet,
Eating curd of whey.
Along a spider
And sat down beside her,
And drove Miss Muffet away
And great pity it Is that Miss
Muffet did not sit still and look at
the spider; for, if she had, she could
tell us a great deal about him which
would be worth knowing, We will
take her place with our magnifylng
glass, and examine the first spider
that comes to sit beside us.
Here comes hunter, not with a
gun and powder-fask, for he carries
his ssarms" in his mouth; but we
need not fear him, for, if he were
to bite US, it would do no more harm
than bite of a flea. See how rest
lessly he runs back and forth in
search of a dinner! His home is
not far from here, in hole in tree !;
and when he catches his game, he
will take it home to eat. He is a
wonderful spider to jump, some OF
his cousins in Africa being able to
jump a foot. Miss Muffet would
have been surprised to know that
very few spiders have but two eyes,
most of them having eight. This
little hunter has his so arranged that
he can look in all directions at once,
and we can but admire the pretty
crown they form on the top of his
head. There he goes with his din
ner, and down comes another spider
from overhead. He is in no danger
of falling off, for he is spinning the
rope by which he descends. 1t
shines in the sun like silver cord,
and is so much finer and stronger
than any thread we can make that 1t
is used in place of wire in many tel
escapes. Some spiders use their
webs for houses; others, as nets in
which to catch their prey. This one
coming down is a mother spider, as
we shall see if we touch her with
blade of grass. OIL what would
Miss Muffet do if she were here now?
Who would have thought mother
spider could carry thousand babies
on her back But so she does and,
now that they are running in every
direction, she looks on with pride,
and would probably say if she could,
s'That is what I call a nice family
Poor old mother spider She has
only seven legs, and she ought to
have eight but she need not apply
for cork leg, for, if she is patient,
another will grow in a few weeks.
Perhaps she has lost one in tearing
open the little silk honse in which
her eggs were placed, and in which
she found her thousand babies yes
terday. What have we here on this
dry leaf? A spiders skin standing
on its legs just as if it would walk
off, if touched by the tip of the fin
ger! But it is only an empty skin,
the spider who left it having new
one in its place.
Some spiders spin webs that are
shaped like horns; others make them
round like plates, with the threads
running in all directions. Some spi-
ders live in the water, and others
burrow in the ground, covering the
hole into which they go with a trap
door, making the door-hinges of the
silk threads they spin. No danger
of their doors creaking! The shape
of their house is much like a stock
ing, and the whole house is lined
with fine silk of their own weaving.
If you were to try to open one of
these doors with the sillen hinges,
the lord of the silken castle would
spring to the door. grasp it from the
under side, and do his best to prevent
you. If he would put a bell or
knocker outside, we would not trouble
him by trying to go in when not eX-
pected. / should think some chill
dren could hear fairy music from the
delicate cords the spiders hang out
for the wind fairies to play upon.
And / should think some child might
have been invited to the dance which
we feel sure has been given just be-
fore we wake to find so many silvery
carpets upon the dew-spangled grass
on a summer morning Christian
Register.
THE SHIPS DoG.-A story is told
of dog which lived on ship. The
vessel was anchored in the harbor
of foreign port. The dog often
went ashore with the officers, and,
being occupied with various doggish
amusements was often left behind
when the officers returned in their
boat to the ship. The first time this
occurred the poor dog knew what
to do when he found the ships boat
gone. He ran up and down the
wharf, barking and whining.
A boat was lying at the wharf in
which a native was sitting. The
dog suddenly stopped, jumped into
the boat, and gave several short
banks, as if to say, 81 want to go to
that ship out there
The man knew the dog, took in
the situation, and, doubtless think
ing of fee, he rowed the dog to
the ships side. The man got his
fee, for the officers were glad to have
their pet returned to them. After
that, the dog often got back to the
ship in the same manner.