Year: 1876

1T FROM THR FLOOR.


The wonderful little spider which cap
tured the mouse, and is elevating it in
Its parlor at Mr.. Michael Gross's carpen-
ter shop on Greatmere. between Elysian
Fields and Marigny streets, Of which we
gave an account few days ago, is still
busily engaged at its herculean task,
and filling the numerous persons who
visit it with amazement This astonish-
ing little insect is of the black species,
and very small, fact that renders the
feat which it now performs the most
marvellous. As we have before stated,
the mouse was accustomed. when on a
predatory excursion, to emerge from
hole under the bench where the spider
dwelt, and pass into the carpenter shop,
where the bench stands. The enterpris-
ing spider who had no doubt watched
for long time the movements, laid a
trap for the unsuspecting young mouse,
and when it started out on its daily
rounds, the little spider who was Oh the
lookout, frightened the thread which she
had prepared for her victim, whose hind
legs had been cntangled in them as it
passed out of its hole, and soon secured
it. Immediately after the legs had been
caught, the spider fastened another
thread to the mouses tail, and after sew
eral hours constant work succeeded in
raising her prey's hind quarters, and
continued so doing until the tip of the
mouse's nose only touched the floor.
Having thus rendered it helpless, the
little spider industriously set to work
multiplying its fastenings. After few
more hours labor, the mouse was raised
one iuch from the floor, the spider work
ing as if with a pulley. In its terrible
contortions to release itself, the mouse
managed to sever the fastenings around
its hind legs, but SO strong were the
threads which suspended it in the air
and SO securely were they attached to its
tail that all efforts to break them proved
fruitless. Mr.. Gross, taking great inter-
est in the proceedings, left the spider
undisturbed, and during almost the
whole of one night, with several friends,
watched Its working attentively. The
little insect, after taking her position on
her victims tail, commenced manipulat-
ing the threads and working. Gradually
could the astonished witnesses of this
wonderful feat see the mouse creep up,
and the threads, descending from their
fastenings under the corner of the bench
to the mouse's tail, increased in number
and during twenty-four hours the threads
had so increased that it became impossi.
BILE to count them, and the mouse, which
was still alive though quite weakened,
had been raised from one to three and q
half inches from the floor. The spider
during the whole time of its work sat on
the mouse's tail, only leaving its posi-
tion at long intervals, when it would
cautiously creep down the tail to It's root
and there feed upon the blood of the
mouse. Then resuming its position OF
the end of the tail, it would again com
mence its work. This unheard-of cap.
ture of mouse by SO small an insect
and its ingenious manner of elevating il
has excited the wonder and admiration
of thousands of visitors, among whom
may be mentioned several scientific mer
and physicians, who assembled in large
crowds at Mr.. Gross's carpenter shop t.
witness the progress of the gigantic tasE
which the little soldier has undertaken
and is so successfully bringing to an is
sue. Mr.. Gross will leave them undis
turbed and carefully watch the result
as every one is anxious to see what the
spider will do with its captive after i
dies, and how far it will elevate it,
Neac Orleans Picay4oae.