LIFE AMONGST THE SPIDERS. 105 



covered with dirt and dust, or altogether destroyed by 

 wind. Would not some suitable instrument be good 

 with which the creature should be enabled to clean its 

 curious house ? 



Now, please, behold the garden spider's foot. " Why,'* 

 you exclaim, " it's a comb, and what a number of hooks 

 and spears are attached to it ! " True, quite true ; but 

 let us think a bit while we examine with a higher power 

 this most astonishing display of wisdom. 



Here is a foot exactly in the form of a comb. The 

 teeth resemble exactly the fingers of your hand, and are 

 used precisely in the same manner ; and you did well to 

 exclaim just now "My word!" an exclamation expres- 

 sive of astonishment ; for " My Word " says, " The spider 

 taketh hold with her hands, and is in king's palaces," * 

 teaching us, by a natural parable, that if we are to dwell 

 in the King's palace of heaven we must first take hold of 

 the way He has provided for us on earth, f 



These combs number about twenty teeth each, and, 

 though they are quite invisible to the eye, the micro- 

 scope reveals them so distinctly that you may easily 

 count them. Then, as it is wise to have a duplicate in- 

 strument when the first is likely to suffer damage, observe 

 there are two combs to each of the eight feet. I can 

 only suppose these duplicate combs have been wisely 

 given to the spider for the purpose of supplying that loss 

 which these animals often sustain in their battles one 

 with another, for spiders are terribly pugnacious. Observe, 

 these teeth are so evenly and so closely placed that just 

 room enough between each allows one strand of web to 

 lie, so the spider has secure footing in its curious house, 

 and cannot fall between the meshes of its net. Then, 

 again, this admirably contrived foot is a perfect gauge 

 * Prov. xxx. 28. * Matt. xi. 29 ; John xiv. 6. 



