Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1895-12-31
THE DEADLY kATIPQs.
A Spider Whose Bite Produces Terrible
Torture.

A Spider Whose Bite Produces Terrible
Torture.
Next time anybody is bitten by poi
sonous blac,: spider" he will confer
favor on ire. II. II. Bchr if he will re-
frain from crushing it long enough to
give the professor chance TO be bitten,
too. He would like to demonstrate to
that part of the public who feel finicky
about such things that the bite OF that
same poisonous black spider" is really
absolutely harmless and 10 more pain
full than the sting of n wasp or Il mos
quito, or even flea of the California
genus. Mr.. Behr is professor of ento-
inology and arancology and a few other
sciences at the big academy on, Market
street, and what he doesn't know about
insects of all kinds is hardly worth talk
ing about.
But if anyone should happen to be
bitten by small "black spider" with
four or five little scarlet spots on it's
back he had better to guzzlc brandy for
day or two while 4 stronG-armed at
tendant ruhs ammonia into the wound
with one hand and keeps the victim
from squirming with the other. The
professor calls that little spotted insect
the latrodectes mactans and says it is
the most venomous of ali spiders, not
even excepting the tarantuia, which is
| about ten times as big. 1t is ordinarily
not bigger than French pea. hut boasts
of considerably more beauty than is
| commonly found among spiders.
Its body is round and covered with n
| beautiful vclvety black growth of short
fuzzy hair, with the scarlet srots above
mentioned on it's back. 1t has eight
| rather long legs for such n small body
and eight eyes, though they cannot be
taken as distinguishing features Of this
| particular species. for, as the professor
Says, all spiders have eight legs and an
| equal number of eyes. But il iS,hy the
location Of the eyes in the aratomy of
the insect that the Considerations are
made, and as there are some 5000 or
5000 species known to ararco!oG:sts il
is no small task to distinguish which
is which," This one, however, may be
told by the fact that four Of its eyes
are located in squad in front, with the
remaining four grouped i'll pairs OF
each side of it's head and a little to the
rear of the others. The eyes are bulg
ing and CLASSY and of Il deep greenisf
hue. It's Inandibles are not very large
but, as many victim can attest, are
capable Of doing great damage. Its
action is quick and alert.
Prof. Bchr laughs at the idea thai
the bite Of the latrOdcctcs mactans il
fatal, though he admits that the patien
suffers the most racliing tortures fo1
: several days, after which, if he has beer
: properly treated, recovery is certain
| ty. He says that many persons ma,
+ have died of fright but never from til,
poisonous effects of the bite. Tn
tarantula, which is so UNIVERSAL,
dreaded, is after all, according to Prof
Behr, not at all dangerous. Though
its bite causes considerable pain AM
swelling about the wound, he says j
is not fatal. It's bite is not nearly s
I dangerous as that of the "katipo," bu
he that as it may, it is more formidabl
: and ugly looking, and one might as wei
! be poisoned as scared to death.--Sa
@ Francisco Examiner.