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Spiders are not true insects. They rank higher in the scale of creation than 
the largest and most powerful insect. The breathing organs, the circulation, and 
the mode of reproduction are far superior to those of the twelve orders of insects. 
The fear and dislike to spiders is very general, and it must be admitted that the 
prejudice is natural; their very appearance, their ugly, ungraceful form, at once 
creates it, as has been rightly said :-— 
Their shape would make them, had they bulk and size, 
More hideous foes than fancy can devise. 
In the first place, it will be well to consider their structure. The body of the 
spider is divided into two parts The fore part is formed by the head and chest 
united, and to this the legs are attached. This is called the cephalothorax, the 
hinder part is called the abdomen, and contains the organs of animal life. ‘The 
upper side of the cephalothorax has a covering called the shield, whilst the covering 
of the under side is called the breastplate. The shield and breastplate greatly 
differ in form in the different species. The eyes are situated on the shield. They 
are simple, and the grouping of them is of vast importance to assist in distinguish- 
ing the genera. They are sometimes stalked so as to be enabled to see above the 
mandibles which in some species are very long and curved, It is said, like cats, 
they can see by night. Below the eyes and above the mouth is a pair of jaw-like 
organs known as forceps, falces, mandibles, or poison fangs, and terrible fangs they 
are. In all the English genera, except the crab spider, the poison fangs are 
attached to the face by joints, either in a perpendicular position or with a slight 
inclination towards the breast, and have a movement like the jaws of insects. In 
the crab spider they are horizontal, and move up and down; they are composed of 
two parts, the base and the fang. The fang is hard, sharp curved, and moveable, 
and is attached by a joint which has a groove on the inner edge, into which the 
fang is folded down when not in use. A row of teeth is generally on one or both 
edges of the groove. Their object is to catch and hold the prey, which they also 
poison. The poison gland is at their base. The poison is of an acid nature, as we 
may learn by making a spider angry and holding a piece of litmus paper to him, 
which he will bite, causing the paper to turn red, as far as the fluid emitted 
extends. The mouth is furnished externally with an upper and under lip, anda 
pairof jaws. These jaws are placed in each side of the lower lip, and are furnished 
with a pair of long palpi or feelers, which vary in the two sexes. In the female 
they resemble small legs, and have one very small toothed or plain claw at 
the tip. In the male the terminal joint is very much enlarged, and presents a 
complicated structure. The legs are eight in number, and are connected by joints 
to the cephalothorax. The foot has two, three, or more curved claws, toothed like 
a comb, though they are met with plain in some species. The first objects to be 
noticed in the hinder portion of the spider’s body are the breathing organs. ‘These 
consist externally of two or four brown, white, or yellow scales, having a small 
transverse slit at their hinder edge. These breathing holes are of the nature of 
true gills. The layers which compose them are best to be seen in specimens which 
have been dried, or over which boiling water has been poured. 
