yS Ohfervat'iMs 07i Spidersy 



z& of prowefs to eat them. So many things have been re- 

 lated for and againft the aflertion of fpiders being venomous, 

 that v;e cannot but be cautious in regard to what has been 

 faid on the fubject by different authors; we muft therefore 

 requeft thofe who relate fuch ftories in future, to give a 

 corre6l defcription of the kind of fpider or other infedl which 

 they believe to be poifonous, together with their common 

 and fcientific names, which will remove all doubt and con- 

 fufion. 



Our fpiders in France are in general rather ugly than for- 

 midable. If there are any fufpeftcd of being poifonous, it 

 ought not to be the domellic fpider with long claws, aranea 

 farientina and aranea phalangiodes Linn, nor the mower of 

 the fields, phalanghim opilio Linn, the only kinds of the pha- 

 langia mentioned by Geoff'roy ; nor the mafon fpider, with 

 which perhaps this author was unacquainted, becaufe it in- 

 habits the fouthern provinces; nor the orange-coloured fpi- 

 (ier, and that entirely white aranea viatica, and the aranea 

 citrina Linn, found commonly among vegetables and fruit, 

 and chiefly grapes ; nor fo many others which we fee daily, 



a bit of black, wax in his hand, which he kept fliut. Mr. Matthew, who 

 in other refpefts was a fedate and amiable man, imagining that his fi'iend 

 really held a fpider, immt-diiitclv drew his fword in a great fury, retired 

 with precipitation to the wall, leaned againft it as if to run him through, 

 and fent forth horrible cries. All the mufclcs of his face were fwelled, 

 his eye-balls rolled in their fockets, and his whole body was as ftiffas a 

 poft. We immediately ran to him in great alarm, and took his fword from 

 hitn, afluring him at the fame time that Mr, Murray had nothing in his 

 hand but a little wax, a«d that he might himfelf fee it on the table, 

 vhere it was placed. 



He remained fome time in this fpifmodic ftate, and I was really afraid 

 of the conftquences. He however gradually recovered, and deplored the 

 dreadful paffioa into which he had been thrown, and from which he ftill 

 futfered. His pulfe was exceedingly quick and full, and his whole body 

 was covered with a cold fweat. After taking a fcdauve he was reftored 

 to his former tranquillity, and his fear was attended with no other bad 

 confequejices. M'e muft not be furprifcd at this antipathy : the largfft and 

 moft hideous fpider; are found in Barbadoes, and Mr, Matthew was born 

 in that idand. Some one of the company having formed of the fame wax, 

 iji his prefence, a fmali fpider, he looked at it while making with the ut- 

 tnoft tranquillity, but it w-ould have been impoffible to induce him to 

 topch it. He was not, however, of a timid difpofuioa." 



and 



