Why Spiders are Interesting 



William P. Alexander 

 Instructor in Farm Nature Study in Cornell University 



Spiders are wonderful creatures and cannot fail to inspire us with 

 amazement if we but study them now and then, and leani some- 

 thing of their marvelous skill and 

 remarkable habits. 



Spiders have for long centuries 

 been maligned, and looked upon 

 with suspicion : all manner of mis- 

 chevious work has been laid to 

 these interesting creatures and 

 superstition has created man}^ a 

 fantastic tale in which the spider 

 played a leading role, much to the 

 detriment of its good name, and 

 popularity. 



In ancient times the spider was 

 supposed to envenom everything 

 it came in contact with and was 

 universally dreaded and despised, 

 and we wonder if or not Shake- 

 speare tried to vindicate this little 

 creature when in the "Winter's 

 Tale" he wrote: 



"There may be in the cup 

 A spider steeped and one may drink, 



depart, 

 And yet partake no venom." 



However this may be, it is true 

 even to this day that children 

 are taught by ignorant parents 

 to shrink from spiders as from a 

 thing of evil, and thus the superstition and delusion is kept alive and 

 flourishing. It is the writer's hope that Nature Study when it 

 has become a country and nation wide institution, will do away 

 with this and lil e fallacies by counteracting wrong influence in 



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An orl) wc'l) laden with dew 



