the Spider fpiiis its IVeh. 221 



gtnerallv been obliged to take a great deal of trouble to over- 

 come this antipathy *. 



But however much mankind may have beheld with aver- 

 fion i'piders and other vermin, ihey could not helj) admiring 

 the inirenuitv of the latter in fpinning their webs, and the or- 

 der and rejrularitv difplaycd in thefe produftions. As far 

 back tlierefore as natural hiftory can be traced, in the time 

 of x\ri(toile, and in the fragments of his predeceflbrf, we 

 fmd, ifnot accurate deicriptions, at lead fome mention of the 

 labours of this infect. In like manner, the moderns liave 

 ihoucrht the )"j)ider's web worthy of their attention; and it 

 might confequently have been expefted from the accuracy of 

 our naturalifts, that they would liave given us more minute 

 and comjileter deicriptions. 'J'his ought to have been the cafe 

 in particular with the web of the crofs-fpider, one of the 

 aioft (trikin<i and moft remarkable. 1 have feveral times 

 read fuch defcriptions, and Uudied them with pleafure, be- 

 caufe agreeable to nature; but always found this general 

 romplaint, tliat it is full a fecret in what manner the crofs- 

 Ipider extends its lirlc thread, in order that, when it has bceu 

 fdltened, it may have a field for carrying on its work. It is 

 Well known that the crofs-fpider difpofes its web in a 

 more or lefs perpendicular direcition in fome open place. 

 Thus, for example, we often find iu a window four or five 

 threads itretched from one fide to the other; from thefe fe- 

 veral radii proceed to a common centre; and around this cen- 

 tre, at a difiance which may be eflimated in general at a few 

 liues, there arc feveral concentric circles, each progreflively 

 larger; in the middle of which the fpider places itlelf con- 

 cealed, to wait until fome infect becomes entangled in thefti 

 threads, when it immediately ruflics forth and feizes its 

 prey. Thus far the explanation of the procefs which the fpi- 

 der employs is very eafy, efpecially as it is known that this 

 infc6t, wherever it goes, marks its way by a thread, which it 

 leaves behind it; and that this thread, on account of its vif- 

 cofitv, can always be made fuft to any object, wlien the fpi- 



■■ It is of importance to confider by what uicans that avcrfion com- 

 monly calltil natural, and which is merely the rcfuit of improper educa- 

 tion, can be overcome. Rofel accuftomed himfelf to view thefe infef^s 

 hrft at a diftance. He then confuicred their webs ; and at lull looked at the 

 infects thcmfelves througli a microfcope. Go?.e firft viewed individual 

 pans of fpiders, fvidi as the legs, head, &c. till lie was at length aT)Ie to 

 look without any feniiment of averfion at the entire infeft. Both thefe 

 naturalills, by long lubit, fo far overcame this averfion, that they coold 

 handle and ex:<nui.e fpiders with tiic lame irdiflcrencc as others t,\i\\ flics. 



t ^einocritus. See Piiu. Hift. N'at. lib. ii. cap. 24. 



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Vol. XI. X der 



