346 NATURE'S TEACHINGS. 



NOT only are these projections used as Combs, but as 

 appendages which insure the security of footing along the 

 lines of the web. The reader will easily remember that when 

 a Spider rushes along its web to secure its prey, it always runs 

 along one of the radiating lines, which have no viscid drops, 

 and that it never misses its hold. The latter point is secured 

 by the structure of its claws, which are so made that if one 

 projection misses the line, another is sure to fasten upon it. 

 Some years ago, while watching "Blondin" go through his 

 wonderful performances, I was especially struck with the 

 pattern on which he had constructed the stilts upon which he 

 traversed the rope. They were made in the most exact imi- 

 tation of the Spider's foot, and though it is not probable that 

 he borrowed them from that object, the resemblance was so 

 close that he might readily have done so. 



BELOW the spider's foot is given the head of a Toucan, one 

 of those beautifully coloured and large-billed birds that inhabit 

 tropical America. These birds are very particular about their 

 plumage, and even when in captivity dress their feathers with 

 the utmost care. When they do so, the saw-like notches of the 

 beak act the part of a comb, and the fibrils of the feathers are 

 by their action dressed parallel to each other, and give to the 

 whole bird its proper appearance of health. 



I MAY here mention that there is one comb in Nature, the 

 use of which has never been clearly ascertained. This is the 

 remarkable organ found in the Scorpion, and simply known as 

 the " comb." There are two of them, one on each side of the 

 under surface. Their colour differs slightly according to the 

 species, but is generally a light yellow brown. The number of 

 teeth also differs extremely, for in the Rock Scorpion there 

 are only thirteen teeth, while in the Red Scorpion there are 

 twenty-eight. 



BUTTONS, HOOKS AND EYES, AND CLASP. 



HAVING now treated of brushes and combs as articles belong- 

 ing to the toilet, we will proceed to those which belong to 

 the dress rather than the person. It is a curious fact that, as 



