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’ 
4 Objorviations on thé Gavdent Spider. 
which I had fixed to the back of a chair.”® ‘After being fil» 
pended in this manner half an hour, “the fall fpider’ made a 
fudden {pring towards ‘my Breaft,. raifine itfelf rapidly by an 
oblique line, which made at anole’ of 4o or'50? with® the 
perpendicular. I repeated this experiment’ feveral 'times ; 
et I always obferved that the fpider, after having remained 
a few moments fufpended, conftantly rofe in’ afy oblique di- 
~ rection, in order to reach fonie neighbouring objet. 0" 
My aitgntion being diverted by dina elfe, I did not 
then cart my obfervations any farther ; but in the month 
of Therfnidor laft, havi ing found under my flirubs one of thefe 
Ipiders, about the fize of a grain of hemp-feed, I refunied 
my former experiments 3 and, being furnifhed with a mag- 
nifying glafs, I attentively examined every thing that paffed 
at the moment when the fpider was in fufpenfion: tt was 
_not long before I faw, very diftinly, a pretty large’ thread 
fue in a jet from its anus, and rife diagonally, making With 
the thread of fufpenfion an angle of about 45°.” This ‘thread 
was lengthened about feyen or eight inches, at leaft; per 
fecond. . When the thread reached a neighbouring ‘body it 
remained there attached; and the infect then making half 
2 turn, darted out another on the oppofite fide, and pro-~ — 
ceeded thus alternately five or fix times. The fpider then 
mounted with rapidity, and traverfed thefe different threads, 
which became ftretched horizontally, by I know not what. } 
_ operation, though at firft they would have formed an anigle 
_ sof 99°, the fummit. of which was occupied by the filipehded 
.2nimal.. Soon after [ faw a mult titude of other threads fia P 
» blithed between thefe principal ones; and the work | w as car- ¥ 
» tied, om, with fo much rapidity, that it was impothble for me 
., to-follow.it minutely... The net work feemed as aif fo ormed— 
sby.magic; but no doubt remained to me refpecting. the x 
-(ptincipal fact, which is the emiffion of the large tranfverfal 
_ threads, an operation. not performed by chance, but defign, y 
.and which might be compared perhaps to the exienfion of 
> the long tentuedte of certain marine animals, 
La 4 
