VENOMS IN THE ANIMAL SERIES 275 
animals upon which spiders feed. In man and large mammals 
their bite produces sensations of pain accompanied by swelling 
and muscular contractions as though caused by localised tetanus. 
The venom of certain species of spiders 
sometimes causes very serious and even tae 
fatal results. Latrodectus malmignattus 
(the malmignatte of the South of France 
and Italy), and especially Latrodectus 
mactans, of Chile (fig. 96), are greatly 
dreaded.' The area of distribution of the 
latter includes the whole of Tropical and 
Sub-tropical America. It is said that it 
frequently causes the death of milch cows, 
and that in man its bite produces tetanic 
effects, which last for several days, but 
are in most cases amenable to treatment. 
Another dangerous spider is the Katipo 
(Latrodectus scelio), of New Zealand. 
This creature is confined to the sea-shore, 
and the natives are often bitten when 
collecting shell-fish or sea-weed. The 
Maoris are so much afraid of the bite of 
the Katipo that, when one of them has 
been bitten in his hut, and the animal Fred Tei odes 
cannot be found; they do not hesitate to ™##a7s (formidabilis olim). 
1, Female, twice natural size ; 
burn the dwelling to the ground. More- ja, its eyes, greatly enlarged. 
over, they are convinced that the death of 
the spider is absolutely necessary for the recovery of the patient? 
1 El Latrodectus formidabilis de Chile,” by Fredérico Puga-Borne, Santiago, 
1892 ; and “ Biologia Centrali-Americana,” Arachnida, vol. ii., pl. 35. 
? Blackwell, ‘‘ Experiments and Observations on the Poison of Araneida,”’ 
Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, 1855, p. 31. See also “ Insect 
Life” (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1889), vol. i, parts 7, 8, 9 and 10, 
and vol. ii., part 5. 
