NATURAL HISTORY. 



821 



term a spider's thread is in reality 

 formed of a collection of a great 

 many distinct ones ; the animal 

 possessing the power of drawing 

 out more or fewer at pleasure ; and 

 if it should draw from all the fora- 

 mina at once the thread might con- 

 sist of iBany hundred distinct 

 filaments. The eyes, which are 

 situated on the upper part or front 

 of the thorax, art- eight in number, 

 placed at a small distance from each 

 other, audhaviui; the appearance of 

 the stemmata in the generality of 

 insects. The fangs or piercers, with 

 ■which the animal ^vounds its prey, 

 are strong, curved, sharp-pointed, 

 and each furnished on the inside, 

 near the tip, with a small oblong 

 hole or slit, through which is evacu- 

 ated a poisonous fluid into the wound 

 made by the point itself, these or- 

 gans operating in miniature on the 

 same principle with the fangs in 

 poisonous serpents. The feet are 

 of a highly curious structure; the 

 two claws with which each is termi- 

 nated being furnished on its under 

 side with several parallel processes 

 resembling the teeth of a comb, and 

 enabling the animal to dispose and 

 manage with the utmost facility the 

 disposition of the threads in its web, 

 &c. 



Aranea iarantula^ or tarantula 

 s])ider, of which so many idle reci- 

 tals have been detailed in the works 

 of the learned, and which even to 

 this day continues, in some coun- 

 tries, to exercise the faith and ig- 

 norance of the vulgar, is a native of 

 the warmer parts of Italy and other 

 warm I'iuropean regions, and is 

 generally found in dry and sunny 

 plains. It is the largest of all the 

 Kuropean spiders, and is of a brown 

 colour, with the back of the abdo- 

 men marked by a row of trijjonul 



black spots with whitish edges, and 

 the legs marked beneath by black." 

 and white bars. In the present 

 illuminated period it may be suffi. 

 cient to observe that the extraordi- 

 nary symptoms supposed to ensue 

 from the bite of this insect, as well 

 as their supposed cure by the power 

 of music alone, are entirely fabu- 

 lous, and are now sutficientiy explod- 

 ed among all rational philosophers. 



Aranea nobiJif; is a very beauti- 

 ful species, of middling size, with an 

 orange-coloured thorax, marked by 

 six black spots, and an oval, yellow 

 abdomen, with seven oval black 

 spots, the first of which is situated 

 immediately behind the thorax, 

 while the remainder are disposed 

 into two longitudinal row s : the legs 

 are yellow, with the last joints black. 

 This elegant spider is a native of 

 Sumatra. 



Aranea scenira is a small species 

 by no means uncommon during the 

 summer months, and generally seen 

 on walls in gardens, <.Vc. it is of a 

 black colour, with the abdomen, 

 marked on each side, the upper part 

 by three white bars. This spider 

 is one of those which spring suddenly, 

 to some distance, on their prey. 



Aranea cxfen.^a is a smallish 

 species, of a fine greea colour, 

 accompanied by a slight silvery 

 gloss : it is common in gardens, and 

 is almost always seen with the legs 

 extended, in a parallel line with tho 

 body. 



Aranea Itevipes is of a grey colour, 

 varied with minute black specks, 

 and with the legs beautifully cross- 

 od by numerous alternate black and 

 white bars. 



Aranea palust ris is of a lengthen- 

 ed form, andof a brown colour, and 

 is priuoipally seen in damp or 

 watery places. 

 3 G 3 Aranea 



