The Life of Spiders 



It is well-known what results follow the bite of an insect 

 by a spider; let us now consider what follows when a spider 

 injects its venom into man. 



Several of the more prominent arachnologists, including 

 Mr. Blackwall ('55) of England, and Baron Walckenaer ('37) 

 and M. Duges ('36) of France, have made experiments to deter- 

 mine the effect on man of the bite of spiders. Each of these 

 experimenters caused himself to be bitten by spiders; and all 

 agree that the effects of the bites did not differ materially from 

 those of pricks made at the same time with a needle. 



1 have given considerable attention to this question with 

 the result that I firmly believe that in the North at least there 

 is no spider that is to be feared by man. I have endeavoured 

 to trace to their source some of the newspaper stories of terrible 

 results following the bite of a spider; but have not found a bit 

 of evidence that would connect a spider with the injury in 

 any of the cases investigated. It often happens that a person 

 suffering from blood poisoning produced in some unknown 

 way infers that he has been bitten by a spider; or the inference 

 may be made by some one else. When an enterprising reporter 

 writes up the incident for a newspaper, the spider bite is not 

 referred to as an inference, but as a fact. 



The so-called Tarantula (Heteropoda) that is frequentl) 

 brought to the North in bunches of bananas is often described as 

 the cause of serious injury. This, however, although a large 

 spider, is an inoffensive one. Mr. John T. Lloyd informs me that 

 he has collected scores of specimens of this species with his hands 

 in Samoa, where it is abundant and has never been bitten by it. 



Although we have in the North no spider that is to be feared, 

 it is quite possible that in the South it is different. I confess 

 that I should not like to be bitten by one of the larger tarantulas 

 of that region, although I know of no well-authenticated case of a 

 person being bitten by one. 



The spiders of the genus Latrodectus, of which we have a 

 common representative in the South, are feared wherever they 

 occur, and it is quite possible that they are more venomous 

 than other spiders. See the account of Latrodectus madans on 

 a later page. 



The conclusion of the matter is this: In the North there is 

 no common spider that is to be feared; in the South, there is a 



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