ARACHNIDA. G33 



In most of the spiders (such as Segestria, Dysdera and Ar- 

 gyronefca) tliere are both a tracheary system and lungs. The 

 two stigmata, from which these tracheae lead, open near the 

 puhnonary opening. In two other genera, Salticus and Micro* 

 phantes, there are two stigmata situated at the posterior end of 

 the abdomen. Siebold calls attention to a trachear}' systen: 

 in many Araneaj opening by a transverse fissure placed nca;- 

 the spinnerets. From this opening a main trunk leads in, 

 soon divitling into four simple tracheae, which are not round as 

 usual, "but are flattened, riband-like, and without the trace 

 of a spiral filament ; these extend, with a gradual attenuation, 

 to the base of the abdomen. . . . The air received into tiiese 

 organs is separated into as fine portions as that of the lungs.* 



The so called lungs of the spiders are little round sacs open- 

 ing by transverse fissures on the under side of the base of tiie 

 abdomen. The inner surface is divided into thin lamellae, 

 connected together like the leaves of a book. Each of these 

 is formed by a membranous fold, between the two leaves of 

 which the air enters from the general cavity of the lung, and 

 is divided into very minute portions. No traces of blood ves- 

 sels have been found in these pulmonary lamellag." (Siebold.) 



Among the organs of special secretion the poison and silk 

 glands require description. There are two poison glands 

 emptying into the throat, and thence opening out tlu-ough hol- 

 lows in the jaws. (Plate 10, fig. 3, a, b.) In the scorpion the 

 poison gland is lodged in the last abdominal segment at the 

 base of the sting. 



The silk, as contained in the glands, is a viscid transparent 

 fluid, which on exposure to the air hardens into silk ; it is drawn 

 out by the legs through three, rarely two pairs of spinnerets. 

 There are usually five of these glands lodged in the abdomen, 

 and the "threads probably have different qualities, according 

 to the glands from which they are secreted." (Siebold.) 



"To form the thread this liquid is drawn through the tubes 



*Accorfling to Dr. Burnett, Blanchard regards these anomalous trachesB as 

 only elongated pulmonary sacs. Leuckart, however, considers that these organs 

 are only a sort of trachea deprived of the usual spiral filament to keep their walls 

 from collapsing, and he considers that tlie pulmonary sacs of the spider arc sim 

 ply modified tracheje. — Dr. W. I. Burnett's Translation of Siebolds's Anatomy of 

 the Invertebrata, 



