Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-07

! !. /:
| ~ uu"iAiiIk W returu. 4
W Tortoise. seeing his
| & situation and moved
/ ~ with compassion, tool
y him on his back rs
| " passenger and wat
N swimming toward the
opposite shore when he
heard noise upon his
shell as Of something striking him. He called
out to know what it was and the ungrateful
Scorpion answered: 1T is only the motion of
my sting; know it cannot injure you, but it is
a habit which cannot relinarish:"
"Indeed,' replied the Tortoise. 'sThen
cannot do better than free bad a creature
from his evil disposition and secure the good
from his malevolence." Saying which, he
Owed under the water, and the Scorpion was
drowned.
SPIDER SPUN THE WORLD.
1t is stated in the mythology of India that an
immense spider was the origin of the universe
and the first cause Of all things. Drawing the
material from its own bowels, il wove the web
Of creation. Sitting in the center of its work
1t feels and directs the motion of every part,
until at length. when it has pleased itself suffi.
GENTLY in ordering and contemplating its per-
fectior, ii will draw all the threads it has spun
out again into itself. and, when thew have been
absorbed, everything will have vanished into
nothing.
In the year 1909 il was discovered that ne "
! and very beautiful kind Of silk could be made
from the webs Of certain species Of spiders.
Inc threads were found to be easily separate
carded and spun. affOrding much finer fla
ment than that Of the silk worm and equally
susceptible of dyeing. Stockings and gloves
were made from this material, naturally of a
beautiful gray color. and great expectations of
the usefulness Of the invention were enter
tanned. At the beginning difficulty was found
In the fact that il would require 663 522 spiders
to furnish one pound of che thread and it was
declared impossible to provide SO many of the
creatures with flies. their natural food. This
obstacle was soon removed by finding that they
would subsist very well upon chopped earth
worms and the roots Of feathers. but an insur-
lnclinations, inasmuch, when many were put
together, they soon began to quarrel, the
strongest devouring the weakest until of sew
eral hundred In box but three or four re-
NAMED alive after few days. Obviously it
was impossible to keep and feed each one sep
arately: Spiders are considered dainty for
eating by many peoples.
ORIGIN OF THE BEpBua.
Concerning the origin Of the bedbug there is
much dispute. For a long time it was declared
that the creature was introduced into Europe
in timber brought from America. but this is,
doubtless, untrue. The name 'bug" 10 a Celtic
word signifying ghost or goblin, perhaps
because the animal is particularly the terror Of
the night. Hence the term ''bug bear and
bug, in this sense. often occurs in Shakes
peare. In Nichotson's Journal there is mem
ton OF q man who. far from disliking bedbuss,
took them under his protecting care and would
never suffer them to be disturbed. until in the
end they swarmed to an incredible degree, and
after his death millions were found in his bed
and chamber furniture. Two centuries ago
there was hospital at Surat, not for human
beings, but for the lower animals, even to in
sects. Beggars were hired by the management
OF this humanitarian concern to pass nights
among the feas and bedbugs, on the express
condition OF suffering them to enjoy their feast
without molestation. At the present time the
bedbug Is sometimes given by country people
In Ohio as a cure for ague.
Every one is familiar by hearsay with the
cochineal insects, which furnish the dyer with
his most highly valued material They are
found on a kind Of fig and are secured by ahak-
ing the trees beneath which sheets are spread
The cosmetic known as rouge il preparation
of cochineal Not less widely used and for
similar purposes 10 the 'lacp insect Of India.
which is likewise tree parasite. These little
animals are employed in the manufacture of
varnishes, japanned ware, sealing wax, beads.
rings, bracelets. necklaces, waterproof hats
and many other things Mixed with fine sand
they are made into grindstones. and added to
iampelack dissolved in water, they compose an
ink of much value. They are also utilized as a
substitute for cochineal for dyeing.
AcLorH WOVEN BY WORMS.
N 'SAy AouS Aihu Va SiOtA udb Dteu manu-
featured by using for the purpose the worms
which are tine larv@ of the so-called clothes
moth" An ingenious Bayarian invented a
way OF causing such worms TO work on a paper
N del suspended from the ceiling of a room
To this IL )del he could give any form and
dime nsions he :hose, and he was thus enabled
to o5tair not only SQUARE shawls, but actually
,oinp,ete womans iress with sleeves. though
without seams. Two larvS can weave one
square i, en- of cloth. which exceeds in fneness
the hghtest game. 1t has been worn BY
queens
One of the IN ,st ancient OF superstitions re-
gnrdins insects is to the effect that when cater
pillars threaten the crops they may be induced
to go away il a woman win strip herself nsked
aud walk around the field Not only was this
method OF getting rid OF snch plague prac-
! ticed in Europe thousands of years ago, but it
is well known and favorably so to the North
American Indians. One of the most highly
priced curiosities In the collection of Horace
Walpole was the silver bell with which the
popes used to curse the caterpillsrs. During
the prevalence Of the silk worm mania in this
country fifty years ago, to meet the great de-
mand for eggs, fish spawn was commonly dis
tributed, and the humbug was highly success
full. The first silk dresses worn by the ladies
OF ancient Rome we're from the island Of Cos,
and Of them rAny said that while they COW
cred woman, they at the same time revealed
her charms. In fact, they were NO fine as TO
be transparent, and were sometim dyed pur
pie and enriched with stripes of gold For
ages silk was q scarce article among the
Romans. and so highly priced as to be worth
many times its weight in gold. The Emperor
Aurelinn. who died in the year 125 Of the Chris
tian era, refused his empress a silk dress be-
cause il was so expensive.
TIE CATERPILLAR AND BUTTERFLY.
The Egyptian and the Greek emblem for the
soul was the butterfly, which is at first only q
caterpillar, bnt at length bursting it, bonds
comes out with new life and in most beautiful
attire, thus afording q representation of the
spirit OF mar and Of the Immortality TO which
| he asPires. II il worth mentioning, by the
way, that within the homely caterpillar can be
found. by careful dissection, the future butter
| ny, neatly folded up and complete in all ia
parts. like the rose in its unexpanded bud OF
the plant within the seed. In the forests Of
Guiana some people make butterfly catching
| their business, gathering them in paper boxes
and exporting them TO collectors in Europe
The Bushmen Of Africa eat the caterpillars OF
| butterflies. Insects OF this kind soon after
| they are transformed into butterflies, COM
| monty discharge drops Of q red fund and such
performances by great hocks OF than have
many times in history given rise to tales Of
bloody rains, which greatly excited u fears
Of the superstitious.
VIXEN BKEs WERE IMPORTED.
Bees were not originally natives Of this eoun.
try. They we're brought TO Boston first from
England, and were subsequently, carried over
the Allegheny mountains by q hurricane. For
q long time they were known to the Indiana nv