NATURAL HISTORY. 



823 



tvhich they were carded, but with 

 much smaller cards than ordinary. 

 The silk is easily spun into a fine 

 and strong thread : the difficulty 

 being only to collect the silk-bags 

 in sufiicient quantity. 



Mons. Reaumur, among his ob- 

 jections, states that the thread, not- 

 withstanding Mr. Bon's description, 

 is far inferior to that of the silk- 

 worm both in lustre and strength : 

 the thread of t!ie spider's web, ac- 

 cording to this author, bears a 

 ■weight of onlv twelve grains with- 

 out breaking ; whereas that of the 

 silkworm bears the weight of thirty- 

 (six. 



The egg-bags used for the purpose 

 were, probably, those of the 

 aranea diadema, and others nearly 

 allied to it. 



We have before observed that 

 these insects are but ill calculated 

 for living in society. Whenever 

 thus stationed, they never fail to 

 wage war with each other. The 

 females in particular arc of a dispo- 

 sition peculiarly capricious and ma- 

 lignant, and it is observed tiiat if 

 the male happens to pay his court- 

 ship at an unfavourable moment, the 

 female suddenly springs upon him 

 and destroys him. On this occa- 

 sion, says Linsus, if ever, may be 

 justly applied the Ovidianlinc 



Res est soUiciti plena tiinoris amor ! 



There remains one more parti- 

 cularity in the history of spiders 

 with which I shall conclude the de- 

 scription of the genus, viz. the 

 power of flight. This is chiody 

 exercised by those of less advanced 



age, and seems possessed but in an 

 inferior degree by those which are 

 full grown. It is principally in the 

 autumnal season that these diminu- 

 tive adventurers ascend the air, and 

 contribute to till it with that infinity 

 of floating cobwebs which are so 

 peculiarly conspicuous atthat period 

 of the year. When inclined to make 

 these aerial excursions, the spider 

 ascends some slight eminence, as the 

 top of a wall, or the branch of a tree, 

 and, turning itself with its head to- 

 wards the Hind, ejaculates * (accor- 

 ding to Dr. Lister) several threads, 

 and, rising from its station, commits 

 itself to the gale and is thus carried 

 far beyond the height of the loftiest 

 towers, and enjoys the pleasure of a 

 clearer atmosphere. During their 

 flight it is probable that spiders 

 employ themselves in catching such 

 minute winged insects as may hap- 

 pen to occur in their progress ; and 

 when satisfied with their journey 

 and their prey, they sufler them- 

 selves to fall, by contracting their 

 limbs, and gradually disengaging 

 themselves from the thread which 

 supports them. This curious parti- 

 cular in the history of spiders was 

 first observed by Dr. Ilulse, about 

 the year 1G68, and was soon con- 

 firmed by Dr. Lister and Mr. Ray. 

 Dr. Lister made several very ac- 

 curate observations on this subject, 

 and even ascended some of the high- 

 est edifices on purpose to observe 

 it, and saw spiders sailing as far as 

 the eye could reach above these, 

 till at length they vanished from his 

 view. (See Phil. Trans. No. 50. 

 p. 1014.) 

 G 4 Description 



* The fiaculation or darting of the ihreads is doubted by Swaiv.inerdam and some 

 oil.rrii, wlio iJithcr suppose that the ilacad* arc diivcu by the wind IVr.ui ihe papill.^ 

 ft' tl)C :ui Ulitl. 



