THE SPIDER. 



THE want of balance in man's appreciation of things, 

 and the unreasonable nature of his prejudices, are in 

 nothing shown more strikingly than in the view he takes of 

 the spider. His objection to the spider is based upon the 

 fact that it kills its prey and devours it. So do the great 

 majority of creatures on earth. The next objection is that 

 it catches it in a net ; but for every fly the spider catches 

 the fisherman will take a thousand fish, also in a net, and no 

 one imputes it to him as harm. The fisherman, indeed, is 

 regarded with a sort of special affection by the community. 

 He is spoken of as the hardy fisherman, the honest fisher- 

 man, and, at any rate in his case, the fact that he catches 

 his fish in a net is not considered in any way reprehensible. 

 Then, it is urged against the spider that, having set its net, 

 it hides from view, and, having enticed the fly into its 

 bower, rushes out and devours it. But how about man ? 

 The fly-fisher casts cunningly devised and tempting lures 

 over the fish, while himself keeping, as far as possible, 

 hidden from view. The trawler arms himself with glittering 

 imitations of fish, studded with deadly hooks ; the wild-duck 

 gunner paddles up noiselessly in a punt, and shoots down 

 his birds while feeding; or hides himself in a bower, and 



