Omaha daily bee., 1890-01-04
NEW NATURAL HISTORY,
The spider and the Ely Socially and
intellectually,

The spider is an animal of the family
araneide. while the fly is only an in
sect. Musca dolnestica Ia the classical
name by which entomologists and other
big-headed bipeds know him, but the
single word fly is suggestive enough
TO people with an ordinary sin
~gle-decSed BRAIN The fly is
q native OF every civilized
and uncivilized country on the globe.
OF all animated beings the common
house fly seems to have the smallest
share OF every day common sense. His
one object in life GEMS to he to feed,
and Of that pleasant occupation he sell
dom grows weary. He is not the least
bit particular as to how the table is set
or what kind of n dish you happen to
give him, so that he has plenty, says
the Philadelphia Times.
The ordinary fly can't distinguish be-
tween n fly trap and n beehive, and
don't know the difference between ar
senic and wheat -four. He will eat any
thing, dead or alive, from baked dog TO
raw crow, but seems to be es-
pecially fond OF sweets, and "a
eat between meals such things
as sugar plums, ice cream,
molasses candy and corn salve without
a single cramp or symptom of dyspepsia.
A fly wants plenty oflight and will even
desert his dinner to seek it ii the room
be darkened. The fly belongs TO a
very numerous family and the killing Of
u few thousand seems to make no appre-
ciable difference in their numbers. He
lives only for today and never stores
| anything away for future use, as he is
quite content to take things as he finds
them, and no doubt believes man to be
made especially for his use. Every fly
| is q tramp and each lives us best he can
| off the general public, and in a general
| way they make out better than the
average tramp, perhaps on account OF
their having wings.
The spider is a very curious little AMI
man, and, although he has no wings and
cannot fly, yet he Is classed higher than
| the fly, because he mostly on them.
The spider. when lntrenched in his W
home, is not afraid of anything, living
or dead, and should a beetle five times
his size. or even a snake, become en-
tangled in his web he doesn't hesitate
to go out to it and make an attemDt to
further secure it. The spider carries q
life-preserver with him all the tire,
consisting of an immense coil OF elastlc
rope, with the necessary machinery to
work it. In case of fire he can, with
himself down from the top
floor of his dwelling, and
if the alarm should prove to be a false
one he can use the same rope to con-
veniently hoist himself again. In con-
structing his web he is quite i%ndepend-
ent of hired help or alien labor and not
only does the work OF construction him
self, but also manufactures all OF
the raw material he uses. In poll
tics he is a high-tariff protectionist
and uses only home manufactured
products. Every spider is the proud
possessor of q domicile of his own, none
OF them ever become tramps, their chlei
occupation is the manufacture of nets
and the trapping of game; many OF
them become expert trappers and all
excel as ropemakers. Socially he is q
miser and a recluse, seldom going
abroad, but is always at home to receive
company.
The spider is methodical in his habits
and attends strictly to business. He
never puts off until tomorrow what car
be done today. The spider, although not
a criminal, commits a grave error in the
eating of the nasty fly and finds some
way Of purifying him before lunchine
on him. He has the instincts o.
an artist and mis- web is deftly
woven geometrical in form and
1.-THE ropes" and keeps himself in daily
practice. TO see him swinging at the
end of a long silkek web, looking sym
metrical as q bullet, he seems to be
dancing a hornpipe on the ragged edge
of nothing. but although he may seen
to be amusing himself, in reality he i:
manufacturing and carefully testing
that coil of elastic web, which he keeps
SO mysteriously concealed in his little
round body.