Wichita eagle., 1889-02-28

THE CRAFTY SPIDER.
Some Strange Stories About an
Ugly-Looking Animal
Spiders That Came Down from Their Webs
to Listen To Violinist-The Weather
Prophesying Power of the Queer
Thipgs-PopuIar Superstitions.

Spiders That Came Down from Their Webs
to Listen to . VioIinfst-The Weather
Prophesying Power of the Queer
Thfpgs-PopuIar Superstitions.
Spiders are the most curious and interest
ing of the small animals, says the Pitts
bprgh Dispatch Its ingenuity, industry,
patience righteousness and cunning have
furnished texts for scores of essays and
homilies, while naturalists have written
volumes descriptive of its habits and pc
culiarities. It's body bias been used for
medicine, and even for food, and numerous
unsuccessful attempts have been made TO
turn its industry to account in the manu-
facture of silk fabrics from its web. 1t is a
very knowing creature and not particularly
friendly towards man. Yet cases are on
record of ugly spiders that were trained
and domesticated until they would come at
their masters call and take food from his
hands.
Spiders are said to be peculiarly sus-
ceptible to the charms of music. II is re-
lated of French prisoner Of war who was
allowed to play upon the Lutte during his
confinement in the Bastile that he was
much astonished, after having had his in
strument for few days. to see the spiders
him IN acircle as he was playing A number
of mice also came out of their holes to enjoy
the music. When ne ceased to play the
spiders returned to their webs and the mice
to their nests, but ever afterwards, while
engaged in Willing away the tedious hours
by music, he had the same curious audience.
Moreover, the number of mice and spiders
that came to gaze and listen grew greater
each day, until at last he begged a cat of his
jailer, kept it in cage and amused himself
by letting it loose whenever he wished TO
create panic among his strange CON-
panions.
Another Frenchman tells Of spiders that
came down from their webs and gather ed
around skllful violinst who was pra cite
ing alone in his room. Many other instances
are cited by various writers to prove. that
these creatures are fond of music
As weather prophet, the spider is re-
Earded by many as the superior of Virgins,
or even the grounding. If the day Is TO be
windy or rainy they creep out of their boles
and shorten the tilaments on which their
webs are suspended, drawing them up
tightly. When they are incident good
weather may be expected; whenever they
are unusually active look out for storm.
1t IS thought to be uHfucky to Kill spider,
but to have one crawl over your clothes is q
sure sign Of coming good fortune-the
general superstition being that the person
SO favored viii soon receive a sum of
money. If spider approaches you, either
by descending from the ceiling or crawling
toward you, it is sign of good luck; but if
the creature runs the other way some evil
is about to befan you. Killing a spider
that crosses your path will bring bad luck,
and if You are to kill one at all never on any
account do so in your house. Should
spider drop from tree directly in front Of
you before night you Will be visited by
dear friend. In some parts of England
there is common belief that spiders viii
not hang their webs on an Irish oak because
all sorts of vermin were banished from
every thing Irish by ST. Patrick's decree.
The strength of the spideri is so great that
1t should entitle him to rank as a Sampson
of the smaller ANIMALS. Al eminent legal
gentleman OF New York State related, many
years ago. curious story of what he him
self had witnessed A striped snake that
was fully nine inches long was discovered
suspended alive in a SPIDERS web in wine
cellar. The web hung between two shelves
two feet apart in such a position that the
snake could not possibly have fallen into it,
Three SPIDERS, each smaller than a fly, were
found Teasing on the body of the still living
reptile. On examination of the snake by
means of magnifying glass it was seen
that its mouth was firmly tied up by great
number Of threads so tightly that it could
not run out its tongue. The tail was tied in
a knot, leaving small loop through which
cord was fastened. A little above the tail
was noticed a small round ball, which upon
inspection proved to be small green fly.
The fly had served as q windass to haul the
snake no, the cords being wound around it.
Many threads were fastened to the cord
above and 10 the ball containing the fly to
keep it from unwinding and letting the
snake fall The snake had evidently been
caught mapping ard strung no by his IN
genious little captors before be had time TO
make a struggle for freedom.
Probably every person who nus spent
summer in the country has been surprised,
while talking morning walk, to note
the immense number OF gossamer-like webs.
glistening with dew, that have been spread
upon trees, shrubs, grass, fences and
hedges during the preceding night
There is a common belief, by no means
confined to the ignorant, that those webs
fan from the sky in showers; but wherever
they come from, there is little doubt they
are woven py the Eossamer spider. 1t was
an ancient notion that the gossamer was
made by dew that had burned in the sun,
ana one learned man of olden time even
wen. so far as to advance the theory that it
was not unlikely that the white clouds, so
frequent in summer, were of the same ma
terlal
Certain kind of spiders, according to the
travellers, are regarded as dainty food bv
the natives of Australia and by certain Afri-
can tribes. The use of spider and spiders
webs as remedy for fevers and other dis
Eases is by no means confined TO savages
La some parts of tins country 4 is still he'd
hat pills compounded of spider webs are
certain cure for the ague, And the rQand
oooies OF spiders themselves, minus the
egs, have been administered for the same
complaint Spiders confined in goose
lunl or sewn up in rag and worn about
he neck were long believed to be an infa-
lble preventive OF the ague. Tie Indians.
{ is said, have great faith in the efficacy of
he spiders web for curing tbs disease.
VENOMOUS SPIDERS.