The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-31
A QUEER DUEL.
A Black and Brown Spider Fight
to the Death.

n Dig WINDOW IN the southeast corner
OF the old warehouse at the head of
Lake Keuka, in IIammondsport, is COW
cred as with a curtain by spider webs
The warehouse was built sixty years
ago, when lIammondsport was the great
grain shipping point for Western New
York. says L correspondent in tho n.
Y. Sun. The grain business ceased to
be tho mainstay of this region long
since, and this old building was put to
othcruses. For many years the southeast
corner has been but little disturbed, and
generation after generation of spiders
have spun their webs and Matched and
brod their young on the dust-covcred
window. Spiders OF many kinds, with
as many different architectural plans
for their gossamor dwclling-places make
their homes on the casing and sashes
and panes of tho old window. There
are spiders with big oval bodies and
legs an inch long. There are spiders
scarcely bigger than a mustard seed,
busy as bees darting up and down and
here and there on invisible supports,
like moats floating in Il sunbeam There
are spiders with bodies as round as a
cherry and almost as big. Brown spi-
ders, black spiders, gray spiders festoon
with their webs this unused corner of
the old warehouse on the lake, and wax
fat on the flies and bugs that seek the
dangerous SccluSion of that dusty and
musty nook.
The panes of this window are the
small squares of the old days. One of
the big oval-bodied, grayish-brown
spiders had his web spread over the on
tire surface of ono pane of glass and
over all but ono small corner of another.
In that corner plump, black spider not
more than onc-quartcr the size of tho
brown spider, had his modest but effect
i've trap. Tho other day the big spider
evidently concluded that he needed
moro room for his web. and he coolly
began preparation to extend it over the
corner occupied by the transformations
black spider. lie ran out Il cable that
passed across one edge of the black
spiders web and fastened it TO the cdpo
Of the sash between that pane and the
next one. This cable was quickly fol-
lowed by another, and third one was
strung before tho little black spider
seemed to wake up to what was going
on. Then he came out of his corner and
gave the big spiders audacious work a
quick inspection. That having evident
~ satisfied him of the intention of tho
big trespasser, he nippcd tho three ca
bles apart, one after another, and left
them dangling uselcssly in the air.
The big spider ran out while the little
black ono was undoing his work, and
for moment seemed paralyzcd with
amazemcnt. The little spider, having
destroyed the cables, retired to the Sc
clusion Of his corner and resumed his
watch for flies. The big fellow rccoy-
cred from his surprise and immediately
threw another cable across the little
ones web Out came the little fell
low with "a rush and snapped
that cable asunder. Four times
after that the big spider strung
cable, and each time the little
spider cut it down. Then the big one
started with another line. The little
one, evidently furious at the pcrsistency
of the other in trespassing upon his
premises, threw himself on the big spi-
der. There was 4 lively struggle be-
tween tho two spiders for second or
two, and then the big one broke away
and retrcatcd to his den in the extreme
upper corner of his web. where he re-
NAMED quiet, but evidently uneasy.
The little black fellow tore about in his
corner as if i'll y towering rage. and
while his fury was ut its height an
other spider, with a long. ugl y-looking
head and small body, came gliding
down on single thread from pane above
the little black ones corner. This spider
joined tho raging black one, and by and
by the latter cooled down. The two
spiders remained together in apparent
contidcntiaF intercourse for q few sec
onds, and then the spider with the big
head darted out upon the brown spiders
wob and followed it to the big fellows
den. There he fingered for n moment,
evidently discussing the msttor with the