THE VENOM-BEARERS THE BIRD SPIDER. 249 



to pierce a delicate skin, and to inflict a wound scarcely 

 less painful than that of the wasp or bee. 



On the Continent there are plenty of spiders notably 

 the Tarantula, about which so many absurd stories are 

 told which will bite fiercely if irritated ; but if we wish 

 to see spiders which can kill and feed upon vertebrated 

 animals, we must go to the tropics. 



Chief among them is the gigantic Bird spider (Mygale 

 avicularia) of tropical America. It is an enormous crea- 

 ture, occupying with outstretched legs a space which a 

 human hand can scarcely cover, and each leg being of 

 great strength. 



I have been fortunate enough to see one of these huge 

 spiders alive. It declined to spread itself, but sat with 

 the legs so closely doubled up that the body was almost 

 hidden by them. The body and legs are covered with 

 thick, rather coarse hairs of a reddish brown colour, 

 which even extend over the enormous basal joints of the 

 poison-fangs. In all the group of spiders to which this 

 formidable creature belongs, the fangs are set vertically, 

 so as to strike downwards into the prey, just as do the 

 fangs of a venomous snake. 



These poison-fangs are so large and strong that they 

 are sometimes set in gold, as is done with tiger-claws, 

 and are used as toothpicks, their touch being thought to 

 be a preventative against toothache. 



The Bird spiders inhabit burrows which they dig in 

 the earth, several inches in depth, and lined with a web 

 so strong that it has been compared to white muslin, 



