250 THE WOODLANDS. 



that the unfortunate prisoner had found a solace 

 in the society of a spider, paid Pelisson a visit, 

 desiring to see the manoeuvres of the little creature. 

 The Basque struck up his music, the spider instantly 

 came to be fed by his friend, but the moment it 

 appeared on the floor of the cell the governor placed 

 his foot on its body, and crushed it to death. 



When Lauzun was captive, he was consoled by the 

 visits of a friendly spider ; but a still more interest- 

 ing narrative of Quatremer Disjonval, and how he 

 obtained his release from prison, through watching 

 spiders, is recorded in the Quarterly Review (January, 

 1844). Hereafter let no one shudder at the presence 

 of a spider. 



One of the things not generally known is the pecu- 

 liarity in the eyes of spiders. In the majority of 

 species they have eight eyes, in some only six, and in 

 a very few only two. The eight eyes are placed in 

 different positions relatively in different genera of 

 spiders ; in insects the eyes are generally compound, 

 but in the Spider all the eyes are simple. 



When spiders are about to deposit their eggs they 

 usually spin silken cocoons for them, which are placed 

 iii various situations. Many species abandon their 

 cocoons as soon as they are completed ; others show 

 the greatest attachment to them, and watch them with 

 solicitude, and some carry them about with them 

 wherever they go. Before the young spiders reach 

 maturity, they moult several times. One species has 

 been known to moult five times, another nine times. 

 Mutilated limbs are reproduced at the time of chang- 

 ing the integument, or moulting. It is uncertain to 



