184 FRANCIS ORPEN MORRIS 



"My opponents belong to the class generally 

 termed gentlemen. Their story is believed. I 

 am a poor man, and am discredited in conse- 

 quence. From these circumstances I have at last 

 come to the conclusion of soliciting the opinions 

 of as many eminent naturalists on the subject as 

 possible, and with this view I have ventured to 

 address you first. Will you, therefore, be so kind 

 as to intimate what you think of the matter ? Do 

 spiders live, or can they live, on invisible insects ? 

 Do spiders, or can they, draw nourishment from 

 the atmosphere so as to enable them to sustain life 

 without any other food ? 



" I may add that the spider has changed his skin 

 three times during his confinement, and each time 

 has increased in size. This fact my friends laugh 

 to scorn by stating that such could not have been 

 the case if the animal had not been supplied with 

 an abundance of food. 



" Hoping that you will grant my humble request 

 at your leisure, THOMAS EDWARD. 



" P.S. The spider is still alive. My notion is, 

 that the food of this creature consists of the blood 

 or juice of animals, and not moisture drawn from 

 the air. T. E." 



To this letter Mr. Morris wrote a speedy reply, 

 with a characteristic request that the spider might 

 have his freedom. He received shortly the follow- 

 ing from Thomas Edward : 



