SPIDER'S WEBS. . 347 



induced to try to breed spiders for the sake of their silk. But 

 he found that they could not be kept together ; because, bein j 

 all cannibals, they devoured one another, till at last, however nu- 

 merous at first, only a single spider was left alive in the box. 



Spider's webs have long been a popular remedy for slight 

 wounds ; the country people being in the habit of applying them 

 to cuts, and apparently with success, to stop the bleeding. They 

 have been also administered internally as a cure for fever, and 

 were at one time a popular remedy, particularly in intermit- 

 tents. 



From the great resemblance which the threads of the spider 

 bear to silk, we would naturally expect their composition to be 

 similar. But, from the experiments of M. Cadet,* the only che- 

 mist who has hitherto examined spider's webs, it does not appear 

 that this supposed analogy holds good. 



When spider's webs are triturated with quicklime, they give 

 out a smell of ammonia. When they are digested in cold water, 

 that liquid assumes a reddish-brown colour, and is slightly pre- 

 cipitated by infusion of nut-galls. It is also precipitated by acids ; 

 but the precipitate is redissolved when the acid is saturated with 

 ammonia. 



Spider's webs, cleansed as much as possible from dirt and dust, 

 were boiled in distilled water. The decoction smelled of mush- 

 rooms, and lathered when agitated. The undissolved matter was 

 boiled in additional water, till it gave out nothing more. These 

 decoctions being evaporated, let fall successive pellicles, and a 

 solid extract was at last obtained, amounting to nearly the half 

 of the spider's webs employed. 



The residue insoluble in water was digested in alcohol. The 

 tincture obtained had an orange colour, and did not lather, water 

 being added to it threw down a precipitate in flocks, which as- 

 sumed a brown colour when dry, and amounted to about 1 y th 

 of the original weight of the webs. On hot coals it swelled up, 

 smoaked, and took fire ; and possessed properties similar to those 

 of a resin. 



The dilute alcoholic solution being evaporated, afforded a re- 

 sidue slightly deliquescent, having a taste at first sweetish, but 

 afterwards bitter, and amounted to about three times the weight 

 of the resin. 



* Nicholson's Jour. xi. 290. 



