The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-05

SPIDER.
out on each side, and his front legs were gath.
cred nearly together with their tips resting on
either side Of his long head. When he wanted
to move he kept his front and back legs sta
ionary and swept the long middle ones to tho
rear. exactly as a rover does a pair Of oars, and
with a similar result. Presently the idler, In
moving. threw q bit OF bark from the cedar
handrail Of the bridge into the water. The In
slant it struck the water the ~listless gnats were
converted into animated watchers. Half Q
bark and touched it as II expecting that It had
HE in Il. All the others stood ready to spring
II believe those bugs are savage and would
attack any live thing that fell into the water"
said the idler in surprise.
seyman.. An the water beetles are predacious
In !. all Of their ,hs forms, and Il those o. slender ds gSSa,S
until get an insect to throw TO them and SEQ
and IA presently ssasSyT Ss to Sssr One q h hHere fSf he g .s sissi II
a gray wood spider: will drop him down and
The wood spider was one of those chunky fell.
lows, OF the color OF lichens, which are found
upon the bark Of trees, They make no web.
large and Rrominent When he was SHAKEN
pond he spun a slender thread Of web and set
tied down gently upon the water. II he had
as readily over the water as on land. but he was
built for jumping and not for running. He lay
ooint TettiD y t qpo isa ah a surface snS Of w tns %S SsH: VILE wnI1.
Ena,s had not discovered him with their round.
made the discovery - His iisSt Body was an mob
gently CENT? : and % sought h g s olassh SlRm g Se aAs sP'a 10
knees knee Ct his powerful front legs as was bis won't
The spider was on the lookout, and tho mo.
at %eP him the N sReI S go. G a w.s snos gsa, s mols aston SsSs
iihed wat ae a ,esPe sir u lR1cses bwG snSse' ei as r o.
connoitred for a moment and then, fully aware
OF the dangerous nature of his foe. he adj
ysnced e do battle. He moved up slowly, Nth
the spider like lightning. struck with bis pois.
attack was repeated. That he did not always
these. encounters he would skate round and
round IKE a dog with a ht. but each time he
Al the end Of the sixth round be seemed to
have given the spider q death wound; The spider
made little effort to defend himself from the
tho gnat stuck his oeak deep into the spider
and carried him on to devour him at his leis.
had 1t secure and kept It,
catch specimens OF the gnats. and some things
about &. them ZEN ar are ~, intbe %es n; eS when ! 4 Sae on
tnem Is ncu on DIS oAcE MS nEntnH "eapon
is disclosed, and It is a formidable one. 1t 10
a beAk an eighth Of an inch in length. but this
Is only half its fighting reach. From within
Re can extrude a black ,%hair-like sting or
sucker, and 1t is with this he strikes. Al one
lay in the Jersey mans fingers, he poked out
his sucker, and a little globule of clear liquid
poison was voided from II.
There is perhaps. no insect which shows 80
clearly the mechanism and working Of the up
per Joint Of its legs. which Is peculiar to
bugs. This is q joint which gives freedom OF
movement to each leg joint, as human ball and
socket joints do. This Joint has u revolving
action. The wafer gnat's legs are very slen-
der at the tips. bur very stout near the body,
and all the joints are plain to see In both their
action and shape.