THE SPIDER. 373 



very harmless race : but in those regions where insects 

 acquire the greatest growth, where the wing of a butter- 

 fly is as large as that of a sparrow, and the ant builds a 

 habitation as tall as man, the spider is dreaded as a most 

 formidable assailant ; and, its body being as large as a 

 hen'segg, itis capable ofinflicting a most dangerous bite. 

 Every spider has two divisions in its body : the fore- 

 part, containing the head and breast, is separated from 

 the hinder part or belly by a very slender thread ; the 

 fore-part and legs are covered with a shell, and the 

 hinder with a supple skin beset with hair : the eyes of 

 this insect are both brilliant and acute ; and the gener- 

 ality of them possess eight, which are placed in different 

 parts of their head : from their forehead grows two 

 pincers, which terminate in claws resembling those of 

 a cat; and a little below their point is a small hole 

 lb rough which the animal emits a venom which proves 

 fatal to all the insect tribe : they have eight jointed legs 

 like those of a lobster ; and if by accident one of them 

 should be torn away, another immediately grows in its 

 place : at the end of each are three moveable claws, by 

 the aid of which the little creature is enabled to adhere 

 to its web ; and when they walk upon looking-glass, 

 marble, or any smooth surface, they squeeze a little" 

 sponge that grows at the end of their claws, and from 

 thence exudes a glutinous kind of substance, which 

 enables them to crawl along the- polished plain : in ad- 

 dition to the eight legs just described there are two 

 others which might not improperly be termed arms, as 

 they do not assist the creature's motion, but are mere- 

 ly used in holding fast their prey. 



The most striking circumstance in the history of the 

 spider, is the facility with which it forms a web for the 

 purpose of ensnaring other creatures of the insect tribe. 



b b 3 



