PROBLEM I . The Kinds of An'mials of the Earth 



51 



Fig. 69 The garden spider spins an orb zveb of 

 this kind. It rests motionless in the center. 

 (HUGH DAvas) 



Fig. 70 The bite of the tarantula is rarely fatal. 

 Hoiv do you know it is a spider? (u. s. bureau 

 OF entomology) 



catching prev. The house spider spins 

 a tangled mass of threads in some quiet 

 corner; this is a cobweb. Each species 

 has its own characteristic web and many 

 webs are comphcated structures woven 

 according to a definite pattern. The 

 trapdoor spider digs a hole in the 

 ground and covers it with a door open- 

 ing out\\'ard on a hinge. 



Do spiders bite? The fear of spiders 

 like the fear of snakes is the result of 

 ignorance. Most garden spiders do not 

 bite; or if thev do the bite causes no 

 more than a slight irritation. The com- 

 mon house spider does not bite at all. 

 The only dangerous spiders in the 

 United States are the tarantula and the 

 black widow or hourglass spider (see 

 Fig. 68). The black widow thrives best 

 in the tropics, but has been found in 



many parts of this country. It is eas\' 

 to identify for it has a black body with 

 a red spot shaped like an hourglass on 

 the under side of the abdomen. 



Close relatives of the spiders. The 

 scorpion is a close relative of the spider, 

 though you might not recognize it as 

 one. The scorpions of this country can- 

 not do much harm. But in the tropics, 

 where they may be as much as eight 

 inches long, they may be dangerous. 

 Then there are the tiny mites and ticks. 

 Many of them live on, or just under, the 

 skin of various mammals, including man. 

 Some of them, like the chigger, cause 

 fierce itchinsrs. Some are carriers of 

 dangerous disease germs. Another rela- 

 tive of the spider is the harvestman. You 

 may know it as daddy longlegs, from 

 its unusually long and spindling legs. 



