The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-03-19
FACTS ABOUT SPIDERS.
Wonderful Evidences of Intelli-
gence That They Exhibit.
Class of Creatures to Which They Belong
All Are Poisonous-How They Spin
Their Webs-Proper Way to
Preserve Specimens.

''The spider, you know, is not an in
sect. 1t belongs to one class in a
group of creatures called 'arthropods,
which includes three other classes also
the crustaceans, such as crabs and
Holsters, the insect proper and the
myriapods or centipedes. The spiders
class, known as the 'arachnid9, is di.
vided into eight orders"
Goodness mew exclaimed the st.
Louis Globe-Democrat writer, who was
already becoming trihe confused.
Eight ORDERS" repeated DR.. George
Marx, of the chronological bureau in
the Department of Agriculture, who
owns the finest collection of spiders in
this country. THE lowest order of the
class is found in the 'pentastoma, a
7worm-like creature that has been dis
covered in the eye of rattlesnake, the
liver of negro and the intestines of a
dog. Next in the scale of development
comes the mites and ticks, which are
not so essentially blood-sucking Great
ares as is popularity supposed; they
live on the juices of plants ordinarily,
and it is the exceptional one that ever
gets an opportunity for a taste
of gore. Then follow the false
scorpions, minute and without
tails, which live in mold and decay
ing books. Above them by step is the
order of 'galleodes,' Notwithstanding
beasts of some size, which are found in
the South and Southwest, and are said
to destroy herds of cattle sometimes by
their bites. The daddy longlegs' are
next, and then the spider, after which
come the 'pedipalpi,' that have fore
claws to clutch with. Here is pedi-
palpus in this bottle; you see it is hor-
rible-looking lobster-like animal, most
unpleasant to meet anywhere, and quite
six inches long. 1t is called the mule
killer or niger killer in the South,
and though commonly thought to be
very poisonous it is in reality perfectly
harmless. The only weapons it has are
glands that emit vinegary odor so
penetrating that if you hold ityour hand
will smell of vinegar for half day
afterward.
'All spiders are poisonous--that is to
say, they secrete in their mandibles a
powerful venom, which is elected through
a little hole in the extremity of the
mandible when the bite is inflicted
The most dangerous of all spiders, so
far as | am aware, is the so-called black
widow which has red dot on the I'M
der side and is very generally feared.
To this variety belongs the celebrated
'katipo,' which the New zealanders
dread so much. 1t is very small, and
accounts are given by the natives of
many human beings and beasts being
killed by it. However, no cause of
death from spider bite has been salts
factorily proven by the exhibition of
the dead person, the spider and the
bite; therefore, there is still good |
deal of room for doubt. Spiders usually |
Will run away from human being; but |
one family, known as the jumping
spider" is very aggressive. You have
often seen the jumping spider. 1t is
hairy, and has three red spots on the
rear of the back. One often finds it in
houses and on warm walls; point your
finger at it and it will jump at the finger
and bite. otta Lugger, formerly of the
department OF Agriculture, has placed
on record the case of his little girl who
was bitten by an attus, as this spider
Is called. She Immediately went into
spasms, and was quite alarmingly i'll.
Inc most striking system of severe
SPIDER bite is rigidity like that of
tetanus or lockjaw."
How is spider constructed?"
The spider is distinguished from in
sects by very important point of
STRUCTURE. The insects have a head,
ehest and an abdomen, but the spider
mas no head at all, scientifically speak
ing In other words, the spiders head
ana chest are in one piece. The animal
~ covered with horny shell and is
SOU inside; it has heart, liver, nerves,
brain, lntestines, arteries, veins and
eisne eyes. Also it possesses eight legs,
Ut TWO more than insects have. Ninety
iiVe OF every hundred spiders that YOU
nno IN webs are females; the males are
only about one-twentieth of the size of
'ae females anyway, and the only object
oi thelr existence seems to be the con.
s :. of their species in the distaff
me, They do nothing in the world but
Ioai after coming of age, appear to eat
mounting at all, and soon die. While
, sney are growing up they act exactly
axe 4 female spiders. The female has at
ne END OF her posterior extremity an
saaoofate spinning apparatus. Six ex-
tefnai spinning organs there are, tubular
u shape, into which open from ten to
;O hundred spinning glands, accord
s 70 the variety of spider. Each
s sa all operating together, spins a
aparate thread, and the spinner manip-
t saOes the threads by holding them be-
wen sseen the teeth" of her comb.like
u ~ The poorly-equipped spinner,
sss ~ glands, with only few threads at
Wv semRana, walks sl8ng with . thread