New-York tribune., 1899-06-01
FACTS CONCERNING SPIDERS.

WONDERFUL CHARACTERISTICS THAT
MAKE THEM "COMELY CREATURES"
In there last days OF the neteenth century moth
Ing. not even a spider seems to be respected with
out pedigree. Well the little spiders can boast
the highest distinction and OF the oldest gen.
ealogles. Their great progenitress was that IA
nous young woman OF Lydia who challenged the
goddess Minerva 10 a spinning match. and was on
the point Of excelllng her when the goddess flew
into a rage. tore UP her competitors work, and
struck her on the forehead with a spoke OF the
wheel. which disgrace drove the young woman 10
despair. and she went and hanged herself But
even goddesses sometimes relent and Minerva IN
pity. turned her antagonist into spider.
Any housewife who follows n broomstick In It's
peregrinations upstairs downstairs and In my
ladys chamber would naturally be inclined to
think the spider useless and even abhorrent Great
These insects are not useless, however. In the
economy OF nature To begin with, some species OF
them are the food Of many barbarous natlons-the
Blackfoot Indians and several tribes OF the South
west used them such-and there is one specimen
to be found in the Everglades OF Florida which
not only eaten by the Indians, but esteemed by
them necessary 20 health on account OF It's me-
dicinal properties Travellers also say that they are
eaten in Africa An authority the subject declares
that the Bashie men consider them dainty. The
Inhabitants OF New-Caledonia spend much OF their
time IN roasting a large. long spider over the FIRE
and eating It. Another spiders are put TO every
schooboy with a pocket knife knows as wei wei as as
did Shakespeare, who makes Bottom say; 'Good
Master Cobweb, II cut my hnger VIII make ooid
Many efforts were made by Reamur. Bon Kolt
and other men Of science 10 render me SIX OF
however, 1t Is reported TO have been tried with
comparative success and as all things are possible
for ihe future the next century may see the spider
Men Of science say that spiders do not belong to
respects but particularly in being pulmonary
creatures breathing with lungs, that, Instead Of
mites mites and scorpions OF ali lighting animals the
spider excels. He fights for the mere love OF u,
and the vanquished is always devoured oy me
Spiders have four six eight and ten eyes. accord
and position Of their eyes that they can be classi-
fed. The attempts to class them by their nests nests
wonderful part OF the little creature BODY is dnat
the silk Some have four, others six, and some
have them placed further In the abdomen than
others The silk is formed by a chemical process
laboratory the large SILK reservoir, and ms II CON
spider according to her wants. Each Of the nipples
has a thousand more small tubes called spin
nerules through which passes thread. All these
large or small cable. composing thread finer than
SrSauoe scientiic authorty saws that it takes
four million OF these threads to make one as thick
The ground spiders which have not so much use
for SILK as those which spin on trees and walls, do
nT5 Tonsa So Some Of them spin but little
and only then TO line their nests and make their
Robert Browning is known 10 have had near his
writng-desk number OF s<ulls In when ne al,
It was Pindars Susan who said
Strange that I've been blind TO form and feat
think a spider now comely creature"
Had Robert Bruce been as frightened Of the little
thing that climbed beside him as Miss Munet was
he would not have been reviyihed into the doer %
whose deeds have passed into historys most heroic
! stories.