Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-08-23
About Spiders and Their Work.


snow, children" Aunt Margaret
said, Il am going to tell you some
things that know. and which believe
will interest you, about the spider fam
lily; and although l expect to make
some very personal remarks, our visit
or is not at all sensitive, which is q
fine thing.
First, though. l will say that the
spider family is large ono and is
found in all parts of the world, but
attains to the greatest size in the trop-
ical regions, where we find what is
known as the bird-catching spider,
which is nearly two feet long, very
hairy, and almost black; its feet when
stretched out. occupy nearly foot in
diameter. This great spider forms a
tIbe-shaped cell. widening at the
mouth. of fine, white. semi-transpar-
ent tissue, like muslin, in the clefts of
trees or hollows among rocks and
stones. 1t only goes abroad after
night, in quest of insects and, It's said,
humming birds. The bite of this
spider is very poisonous.
although the common house spider
is very unattractive. some members
OF the family to which he belongs ex-
hiblt beautiful 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 2000 eggs are some
times hatched out at once. you can
imagine that the task that the mother
spider has set herself is no light one.
Spiders are great lighters; they often
lose one limb and sometimes several
in their combats: but that is Il loss
which gives them little concern,
for. like the crustGceans or
shell fish. they have the
power of repairing the damage and
also like them the spider changes his
skin frequently during his growth.
you will observe that the head and
chest are in one piece which is covered
by sort of shield of oval form, to
which. by means of a short kind of
stalk. the abdomen is attached. Now.
If you look closely and follow what l
say. you Will see near the base OF the
abdomen, some little tube-like openings;
these are his breathing tubes. BY ex-
amining his head you VIII find that
our visitor has two Jaws. or maXillae.
as they are called. between which is
an organ called the tongue. and which
forms part of the mouth; he has also
eight eyes. though few species have
only six. and IL very small number only
two.
"Now. pay very close attention while
| tell YOU something about those long
legs. which Ivy counting YOU VIII find
to be eight in number. Each leg con-
slsts of seven joints. the last one being
armed with two hooks. which are
toothed exactly like II comb; tha frantal
claws, commonly called mandib.es.
have sharp. movable hook. which
has near its extremity n small slit
through which the spider can emit or
throw out n poisonous huid which Is
secreted in a gland of the previous
joint. All spiders kill the insects and
other small creatures on which they
prey by means of these yenomous
nnnulDfts.
Il am going 10 describe now the
most interesting part OF this curious
~ made little creature. Near the
hinder parts you will observe several
small bumps or swell.ngs. these are
called spinnerets, and. as you see. each
Is pierced nj the extremity by mul-
tltu,le 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 splnnerets IL
glutinous: that Is, sticky bur Inn
medIatcly dries into thread when tho
air strikes IL. This Substance j. pro-
duesd IN reservoirs. which end in Ia.
testlne-iike TUBES"