Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-06-20
FACTS ABOUT INSECTS.
CURIOUS THINGS CONCERNING
cOMMoNEST BUGS.
Everything that crawis or Flies Seems TO
Have More Uses than Ordinary
People suspect-silk from
Spiders Webs.


stopped in great perplexity. unable 10
cross. yet unwilling to return. A tor
toise, seeing his situation and moved
with compassion. took HIM on his
back as passenger and was swimming
toward the opposite shore when he
heard a noise upon his shell as of
something striking him. He called
out TO know what 1t was and the I'M
grateful scorpion answered: 1T is
only the motion Of my sting; know it
cannot injure you; but it is habit /
cannot relinquish."
Indeed" replied the tortoise.
Then can not do better than free so
bad a creature from his evil DISPOSE
tion and secure the good from his
malevolence. Saying which he dived
under the water and the scorpion was
drowned.
1t is stated in the mythology Of India
that an immense spider was the origin
of the universe and the first cause of
ali things. Drawing the material
from its own bowels it woye the web of
creation. Sitting in the center Of its
work it feels and directs the motion of
every part until at length when, it
has pleased itself sufficiently In Or
dering and contemplating its perfec-
ton, it win draw all the threads it has
suun out again into itself, and. when
they have been absorbed, everything
will have vanished into nothing.
In the year 1909 it was discovered
that a new and very beautiful kind of
silk could be made from the webs of
certain species Of spiders. The threads
were found TO be easily separated.
carded. and spun. affording much
finer iilament than that of the silk
worm and equally susceptible OF dye
ing. Stockings and gloves were made
| from this material, naturally Of a
beautiful gray color. and great ex-
pectafions Of the usefulness Of the in
yention were entertained. AT the be-
ginning a difficulty was found in the
fact that it would require 663, 522
spiders TO furnish one pound Of the
thread. and ii 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 insurmountable
obstacle arose from their unsocial in
clinations. inasmuch as when many
we're put together they soon began to
quarrel, the strongest devouring the
weakest, until Of several hundred in a
box but three or four remained alive
after a few days Obviously it was
impossible TO keep and feed each one
separately. Spiders are considered a
dainty for eating by many peoples.
Concerning the origin of the bed
bug 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. At the pres
ent 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 fur
nish the dyer with his most highly
valued material. They are found on q
kind Of fig, and are secured by shaking
the trees beneath which sheets are
spread. The cosmetic known as
rouge is preparation of cochineal.
Not loss widely used, and for similar
purposes, is the "lac' insect of India.
which is likewise a tree parasite.
These little animals are employed in
the manufacture OF yarnishes,
japanped ware sealing-waN, beads,
rings bracelets, necklaces, water.
proof hats, and many other things,
Mixed with fine sand they are made
into grindstones, and, added to lamp
black dissolved in water. they com
pose an ink OF much value. They are
also used as substitute for cochinea'
for dyeing.
A very curious kind of cloth has
been manufactured by using for the
purpose the worms which are tho
Larvae of the so-cailed clothes moth. 2
An ingenious Bavarian invented way
of causing such worms to work on 4
paper model suspended from the cell.
ing of a room. To this model he
could give any form and dimensions
l
obtain not only square shawls. but
actually complete woman's dress,
with sleeves. though without seams
Two Larvae can weave one squar incl
of cloth, which exceeds in fineness
the lightest gauzc. II has been worn
by queens.
The first silk dresses worn by the
ladies Of ancient Rome were from the
island OF Cos, and of them Pliny said
that while they covered a woman
they at the same time revealed her
charms In fact, they were so fine rs
10 be transparent and were sometimes
dyed purple and enriched with stripes
of gold. For ages silk was scarce
article among the Romans and so high,
ly priced as to be worth many time:
its weight in gold, The Emperor
Aurelian. who died in the year 1926 o.
the Christian era, refused his empires,
n silk dress because il was so expen