218 



EECEEATIVE SCIENCE. 



spider. Below the eyes (Fig. 1, h h), you 

 will perceive the large basal joints of the jaws, 

 or mandibles, as they are technically denomi- 

 nated, wherewith it butchers its prey. And 

 what terrible instruments of slaughter are 

 these ! Picture to yourself a pair of huge 

 clasp-knives, with extremely broad handles 

 (Fig. 5, a), the blades being so opposed to 

 one another, that when they are forcibly 

 driven into an object their pointed extremi- 

 ties encounter each other in the centre. Then 

 conceive these knives to have the edges of 

 their blades serrated with a row of fine teeth, 

 commencing near the haft (Fig. 3, a) ; and 

 on the handle itself (Fig. 3, b) five large 

 pointed teeth, shaped like the head of a lance, 

 and upon which the saw-like blade can be 



Fio. 3. — Termination of the Jaw, or Mandible, a, row 

 of teeth on the claw ; h, basal joint of mandible, 

 showing the five large teeth ; c, commencement of 

 poison-sac ; d, course of the poison-duct. The last 

 two are only visible when the mandible has been 

 carefully bleached with chlorine. 



brought to work to and fro. Lastly, you 

 must imagine these terrible instruments to be 

 poisoned, for within what we have called the 

 handles of these knives (the basal joints of 

 the mandibles) there is a receptacle (Fig. 3, 

 c) containing a subtle venom, which is con- 



ducted through a tube (Fig. 3, d) to the 

 pointed extremity of the blade. The moment 

 this pierces the body of the prey the poison 

 is emitted, and entering the wound renders it 

 fatal, probably at the same time benimabing 

 the sensibility of the victim. 



Did ever hired assassin of romance invent 

 or employ a more fatal and diabolical weapon 

 than this combination of poisoned dirks and 

 saws ? And yet this is but one portion of the 



Fia. 4.— Edge of Maxilla, greatly enlarged, showing 

 teeth and hairs. 



spider's apparatus for despatching its prey ; 

 for, besides these mandibles, it possesses a 

 smaller pair of jaws (the "maxillae"), whose 

 finely-toothed edges are comparable to a 

 couple of deep rasps (Fig. 4), that most proba- 

 bly operate one against the other in a similar 

 manner to the two limbs of the large jaws, 

 serving to enlarge the wound from which the 

 little monster sucks the life's-blood of the 

 wretched fly ! 



But now let us turn our little spider upon 

 its back, and, regardless of its puny strug- 

 gles, investigate the under surface of its body. 

 We shall then have an opportunity of seeing 

 how admirably its eight long slender legs— 

 (for you are, doubtless, aware that the Arach- 

 nidce, or spider tribes, are furnished with 



