The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-01-22
NEW NATURAL HISTORY.
The Spider and the Fly Considered Both
Socially and Intellectually.

The Spider and the Fly Considered Both
Socially and Intellectually.
The spider is an animal OF the family
araneide, while the fly is only an insect.
Musca domestica is 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 single-decked brain.
The fly is a 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
everyday common sense. His one OBJ.
ject in life seems to be to feed, and of
that pleasant occupation he seldom
grows weary. He is not in the least bit
particular as to how the table is set Or
what kind of dish you happen to give
him, so that he has plenty.
The ordinary fly can't distinguish be-
tween a fly-trap and beehive, and
doesn't know the difference between
arsenic and wheat -four. He will eat
any thing, dead or alive, from TAXED
dog to raw crow, but seems to lie espe-
cially fond of sweets, and can eat be.
tween meals such things as sugar plums,
ice-cream, molasses candy and corn
salye without a single cramp or symp-
tom of dyspepsia. A fly wants plenty of
light, and will even desert his dinner to
seek it il the room be darkened. The
fly belongs to a very numerous family,
and the killing of few thousand seems
to make no appreciable difference in
their numbers. He lives only for to-day,
and never stores any thing 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 a tramp, and each
lives as best he can off the general pub
lie, and in 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
NAL, and, although he has no wings and
can not fly, yet he is classed higher
than the fly because he feeds mostly on
them. The spider when intrenched
in his own home is not afraid of any
thing, living or dead, and should
beetle five times his size, or even a
snake, become entangled in his web, he
doesn't hesitate to go out to it and make
an attempt to further secure it. Tho
spider carries life-preserver with him
all the time, consisting OF an immense
coil of elastic rope, with the necessary
machinery to work it. In case of fire
he can, with this continuance, Instantly
let himself down from the top floor of
his dwelling, and if the alarm should
prove to be false one he can use the
same rope to conveniently hoist himself
up again. In constructing his web he is
quite independent of hired help or alien
labor, and not only does the work of
construction himself, but also manu-
features all of the raw material he
uses. In politics he is high tariff
protectionist, and uses only home
manufactured products. Every spider
is the proud possessor of domicile of
his own, none of them ever becoming
tramps. Their chief occupation is the
manufacture of nets and the trapping of
game. Many of them become expert
trappers and all excel as rope-makers.
Socially he is miser and a recluse, sell
dom going abroad, but always at homo
to receive company.
The spider is methodical in his habits
and attends. strictly to business. He
never puts off until tomorrow what can
be done to-day. The spider, although
not criminal, commits grave error in
the eating of the nasty fly, and finds
some way of purifying him before
lunching on him. He has the instincts
of an artist, and his web is deity woven
geometrical in form and pleasing to the
eye; knows all ''the ropes" and keeps
himself in daily practice. To see him
swinging at the end of a long silken
web, looking symmetrical as bullet,
he seems to be dancing hornpipe on
the ragged end of nothing; butalthough
he may seem to be amusing him self, in
reality he is manufacturing and careful
ly testing that coil of elastic web
which he keeps so mysteriously con-
cealed in his little round body.-Phila-
delphia Times.