The Life of the Spider 



knee of their venom and its effect according to 

 the part of the body injured by the fangs. A 

 dozen bottles and test-tubes received the 

 prisoners, whom I captured by the methods 

 known to the reader. To one inclined to 

 scream at the sight of a Spider, my study, 

 filled with odious Lycosae, would have pre- 

 sented a very uncanny appearance. 



Though the Tarantula scorns or rather 

 fears to attack an adversary placed in her 

 presence in a bottle, she scarcely hesitates 

 to bite what is thrust beneath her fangs. 

 I take her by the thorax with my for- 

 ceps and present to her mouth the animal 

 which I wish stung. Forthwith, if the Spider 

 be not already tired by experiments, the 

 fangs are raised and inserted. I first tried 

 the effects of the bite upon the Carpenter- 

 bee. When struck in the neck, the Bee suc- 

 cumbs at once. It was the lightning death 

 which I witnessed on the threshold of the 

 burrows. When struck in the abdomen and 

 then placed in a large bottle that leaves its 

 movements free, the insect seems, at first, 

 to have suffered no serious injury. It flut- 

 ters about and buzzes. But half an hour has 

 not elapsed before death is imminent. The 



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