CONTEST BETWEEN A SPIDER AND BLUEBOTTLE. 401 



first intoxicated and rendered insensible by coal 

 gas, and was then as quickly as possible put into a 

 net of the geometric spider : instantly the spider 

 flew upon his bulky captive, but the fresh air began 

 to take effect on the fly, and it commenced strug- 

 gling in the most furious manner. Although the 

 spider cast out a cloud of web, and in the most 

 energetic manner endeavoured to envelope its prey, 

 the fly seemed likely to be the victor ; one of its 

 large and powerful wings got free and flapped vio- 

 lently until the meshes of the web gave way, or 

 w r as, perhaps, broken by the weight of the insect, 

 and fly and spider, being suspended in the air, 

 spun round so swiftly as to be quite indistin- 

 guishable. Ultimately, the spider conquered ; and, 

 suspending the huge body of its victim by a rope 

 in the air, returned for a short time to its den. 



If insects do not breathe, then all these results 

 are quite unintelligible ; for it would be immate- 

 rial to the insect what atmosphere it might happen 

 to be placed in. A number of illustrious authors 

 have recorded the result of their experiments upon 

 the effects of other gases on insects. Bees, and 

 other insects, have been placed under the exhausted 

 receiver of an air-pump, and death ensued in a short 



DD 



