The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1900-05-11
Greer Weavers,

Now, Children" Aunt Margaret said.
Il am going to tell you some things thai
| know, and which | believe will interest
YOU, about the spider family; and al
though l expect to make some very per-
S"nal remarks, our visitor is not ut all
sensitive, which is Il fine thing.
First, though, l will say that the
SPIDER family is Il large one and is found
IN all parts of the world, but attains to
where we find what is known as the bird
catching spider. which is nearly two feet
long, very hairy, and almost black; its
1eet' when stretched out, occupy nearly
i foot in diameter This great spider
forms tube-shaped cell, widening at the
mouth %, OF hne, white, sem transparent
tissue, like muslin, in the clefts of trees
or holows among rocks and stones. 1t
emily goes abroad after night, in quest of
insects and, tits said, humming birds.
Inc bite of this spider is very poisonous.
Although the common house spider is
very unattractive, some members of the
family to which he belongs exhibit beau
tl1ul colors: The mother spiders are
very attentive to their babies, CARRYING
them about on their backs until they are
able to do for themSelves-as 1000 eggs
are sometimes Matched out at once. y0u
can imagine that the task that the
mother spider has set herself is no light
one. Spiders are great fighters: they
oftrn lose one limb and sometimes scv-
which gives them little concern, for ike
the crustaceans or shell fish they have
the pnWer of repa iring the damage, and,
also like them. the spider changes his
skin. Frequently during his growth.
You will observe that the head and
cheSt are III one pece, which is covered
ny sort Of Sh ed of oval form. to which.
of oh IL, Il
aDdomen IS attached. Now, if you look
closely and follow what l say, YOU will
see near the base of the abdomen some
little tube-likc openings: these are his
breathing tubes. BY examining his head
You will find that our visitor has two
Jaws, or maxillae, as they are called, be-
tween which is an organ called the
tongue and which forms part of the
mouth: he has also eight eyes, though n
few species have only six, and very
small number only two.
NOW pay very c'o*e attention while
tell YOU something about those long legs
which. by counting, you will find to be
eight in number. Each leg consists of
seven joints. the last one being armed
with two hooks. which are toothed ex-
actly Ike a comb: the frontal claws com
monty called mandibles. have sharn
movable hook, which has near it's cxtrenl-
lty small slit, through which the spider
can emit or throw out poisonous fluid,
which is secreted in gland of the pre-
vious joint. All spiders kill the insects
and other small creatures on which they
prey by means of these venomous mandi-
bleS.
Il am going to describe now the most
interesting part of this curiouSly made
little creature. Near the hinder parts
you will observe several small bumps or
swellings: these are called sp;nnerets.
and. as you see, each is pierced at the OK
tremity by multitude of little openings,
from which threads of great thinness are
produced, all of these threads combining
to make one thread Of the web. The
substance which comes from the spin
nerets is glutinous: that is, sticky: but
immediately dries into thread when the
air strikes it. This substance is produced
in reservoirs, which end in intestine-like
tubes. New York Mail and Express.