CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 59 



first discoverer of that curious phenomenon of the flight 

 of spiders, which I have spoken of in ray Physico-Theol., 

 book 8, chap, 4, note 5. 



The true history of the invention I take to be this : 

 Some time after Mr. Wray's return from his foreign 

 travels (which was in March, 166f), Dr. Hulsetold him 

 of spiders darting their threads, i. e. transversely, with 

 force, parallel to the horizon. Mr. Wray consults Dr. 

 Lister about this, he being the best acquainted with this 

 tribe of animals of any man. His letter to this purpose 

 you have, page 29 [which, unfortunately, is without the 

 date of the year, but was, I guess, in 1668]. Dr. Lis- 

 ter, in his answer, page 31 [without any other date also 

 than TtFKal. Dec.], acquaints him that spiders not only 

 shoot out their threads, but fly also upon them, and 

 shows the manner how he came to discover it. After 

 this Dr. Hulse wrote this very letter to Mr. Wray, which, 

 being curious, and particularly in relation to spiders, Mr. 

 Wray sent an account of it to the Royal Society ; and 

 finding it questioned which of his two friends, Dr. Lister 

 or Dr. Hulse, first made the discovery, Mr. Wray writes 

 the letter of excuse following of July 17, 1670, and after 

 that the other of April 13, 1671, which, no doubt, gives 

 the true state of the discovery, viz. that although Mr. 

 Wray had the first hint from Dr. Hulse of spiders shoot- 

 ing their threads, yet the discovery of their flight was 

 first told him by Dr. Lister ; and in all probability these 

 two ingenious gentlemen, bending at the same time their 

 inquiries about the same animals, might hit upon the 

 same discoveries, as I well remember that, when I my- 

 self was first prying into this matter, I soon saw the 

 spiders take their flight, as well as dart their webs from 

 the tops of thistles, &c. W. D[ERHAM.] 



