SPIDER. 
481 
This animal appears to admit of some varieties, 
ditfering both in size and colour; or rather, it is 
probable ihat several species, really distinct, have 
been often confounded in the works of naturalists 
under one common title. The individual repre- 
sented on the annexed plate is copied from one of 
the largest specimens in the Leverian Museum: 
its colour is an uniform dusky brown. 
During the early part of the last century a 
project was entertained by a French gentleman, 
Mons^ Bon of Montpelier, of instituting a manu- 
facture of spider’s silk, and the Royal Academy, 
to which the scheme w^as proposed, appointed the 
ingenious Reaumur to repeat the experiments of 
Mons^ Bon, in order to ascertain how far the pro- 
posed plan might be carried; but, after making 
the proper trials, Mr. Reaumur found it to be im- 
practicable, on account of the natural disposition 
of these animals, which is such as will by no means 
admit of their living peaceably together in large 
numbers. Mr. Reaumur also computed that 
66352 '! spiders would scarcely furnish a single 
pound of silk. Mon^ Bon however, the first pro- 
jector, carried his experiments so far as to obtain 
two or three pair of stockings and gloves of this 
silk, which were of an elegant grey colour, and 
w^ere presented, as samples, to the Royal Academy. 
It must be observed that in this manufacture it is 
the silk of the egg-bags alone that can be used, 
being far stronger than that of the webs. Mons^ 
Bon collected twelve or thirteen ounces of these, 
31 
V. VI. P. II. 
