THE SPlfifiRi i6i 



poifon, harmlefs to us, yet capable of inftantly deftroying its prey. This' 

 is their moft powerful weapon ; they can open thefe pincers as occafion 

 requires j when undifturbed, they lie one upon the other. They have eight 

 legs, jointed like thofe of lobftcrs : if a leg be torn away, or a joint cue 

 off, a new one will quickly grow in its place. At the end of each leg are 

 three crooked moveable claws ; afmall one, placed high up like a cock's 

 fpur, by which it adheres to the threads of its web; and two others, 

 larger, which meet like a lobfter's claw, with which they can hold by the 

 fmalleft depreffions of very poliflied furfaces imperceptible to us. But 

 when they walk on bodies perfeftly fmooth, as looking-glafs or poliflied 

 marble, they fqueeze a little fponge, placed near the extremity of their 

 claws, and diffufing a glutinous fubftance, adhere to the furface. They 

 have two other legs, or rather arms, ufed in holding and managing 

 their prey. 



The fpider's web is generally laid where flies are mofl: apt to come and 

 Ihclter; in the corners of rooms, round the edges of windows, in the 

 open air among the branches of trees : here the fpider rertiains days or 

 weeks together, in patient expedtation, feldom changing its fituation, 

 though never fo unfuccefsfuj. To make the web, nature has given this 

 animal a large quantity of glutinous matter within its body, and five dugS 

 or teats for fpinning it into thread. This fubftance is contained in a 

 little bag, and at firft fight refembles foft glue ; examined more accu- 

 rately, it appears twifted into many coils of an agate colour ; on break- 

 ing it, the contents may be eafily drawn out into threads, from the tena- 

 city of the fubflancej not from threads being already formed. The 

 threads which we fee, and appear fo fine, are compofed of five joined to- 

 gether, and thefe many times doubled to form the web. 



When a House-Spider begins a web, having chofen fome commo- 

 dious fpot, it diftils one little drop of its glutinous liquor, which is very 

 tenacious j then creeping up the wall, and joining its thread as it pro- 

 ceeds, it darts itfelf in a very furprifing manner to an oppofite pointj 

 where the other end of the web is to be fafliened ; this thread drawn tight 

 and fixed, the fpider runs on it backward and forward, afliduoufly dou- 

 bling and fl:rengthening it. The fpider makes a number of threads parallel 

 to the firfl:^ and croflcs them with othersj the clammy fubftance of which 

 they are formed binding them, when newly made^ to each other. The 

 infect after this doubles and trebles the thread that borders its web, and 

 fecures the edges. The retreat is next attended to ; this is formed like a 

 funnel, at the bottom of the web, for conceahxent, having two paffagcs, 



y v 2 or 



