27G AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



" On every side, as the observer turned his ej^es, he might behold a 

 continual succession of fresh flakes falling into his sight, and twinkling 

 like stars, as they turned their sides towards the sun." 



This shower extended over at least eight miles of territory, for Mr. 

 White received an account from a trustworthy gentleman living that dis- 

 tance from his house, corroborating his own observation. Tliis 

 Extent gentleman met the gossamer shower while he was riding abroad, 

 „, and, concluding that he could escape it by mounting a hill 



above his fields, which was three hundred feet in height, rode 

 to that point. But, to his astonishment, when reaching this lofty spot, 

 he found webs apparently still stretched as far above him as before, still 

 descending into sight in a constant succession and twinkling in the sun 

 as thej^ fell. Neither before nor after, says Mr. White, was any such a 

 fall observed ; but on this day the flakes hung in the trees and hedges 

 so thick that a diligent person sent out might have gathered baskets 

 full.' 



Another account, quite as noteworthy as the above, was reported in 

 the " London Times " on October 9th, 1826, which I quote from Mr. 

 Frank Cowan's interesting and valuable " Curious Facts." ^ " On Sunda}^, 

 October 1st, 1826, a phenomenon of rare occurrence in the neighborhood 

 of Liverpool was observed in that vicinage, and for many miles 

 Another distant, especially at Wigan. The fields and roads were covered 

 „, with a light filmy substance, which, by many persons, was mis- 



taken for cotton; although they might have been convinced of 

 their error, as staple cotton does not exceed a few inches in length, while 

 the filaments seen in such incredible quantities extended as many yards. 

 In walking in the fields the shoes were completely covered with it, and 

 its fioatiug fibres came in contact witli one's face in all directions. Every 

 tree, lamp post, or other projecting body had arrested a portion of it. 

 It profusely descended at Wigan like a sheet, and in such quantities as 

 to affect the appearance of the atmosphere. On examination it was found 

 to contain small flies, some of which were so diminutive as to require a 

 magnifying glass to render them ^perceptible. The substance so abun- 

 dant in quantity was supposed by the writer who described the phenom- 

 enon to be the gossamer of the garden or field spider, often met in fine 

 weather in the country, and of which, according to Buffon, it would take 

 663,552 spiders to produce a single pound." 



An English writer^ describes what he calls a "Visitation of Spiders," 

 which occurred at Newcastle-on-Tyne. Three miles of iron railing in the 

 writer's neighborhood was covered with the little creatures. They were 

 equally numerous about one mile north of Newcastle, and, in fact, covered 



' Natural History of Selborne, Letter LXV. 



''■ Curious Facts in the History of Insects, incluilinir Sjiiclere and Scorpions. 



^ "Science Gossip," December 1st, lS(i5, page 282. 



