120 THE MICROSCOPE AND ITS LESSONS. 



down its self-made bridge in safety, strengthening it by 

 another strand in case it might want to return. 



A big volume might easily be written upon the 

 wisdom displayed by this persevering creature, so much 

 abused because it happens to have a reverse side to that 

 which I have thus briefly described for your edification 

 and imitation; but what living creature is there that 

 lias not two sides to its character ? The nearer we aim at 

 tbe bull's-eye of the target, the surer we may hope to 

 reach the centre ; but, alas ! there are too many who go 

 very wide of the mark simply from having taken what 

 is called " a lad aim." 



" Cunning and fierce, 

 Mixture abhorred 1 " 



writes Thomson, describing a spider's life rather harshly 

 in his poem of " The Seasons." Here is one illustration of 

 the poet's truth. When the honeymoon of Mr. and Mrs. 

 Arachne is over, the husband has to make the best use of 

 his eight eyes, or Mrs. Arachne will make short work 

 of him by chawing him up to make cobweb ; so he, 

 fully aware that his short-lived happiness may meet with 

 an untimely end, and knowing that the carnivorous 

 propensity of his spouse declines dead animal matter, 

 assumes all the characteristics of defunctation, and, roll- 

 ing up his eight legs as in death, lies still, knowing, from 

 the superior bulk as well as speed and strength of his 

 wife, that escape is hopeless. Taking " a last long linger- 

 ing look behind," she leaves him to his melancholy fate ; 

 but, directly she has disappeared, new vigour possesses 

 the animated male, who shows us that his big brain, 

 eight eyes, and as many feet were not given him in vain. 

 As a set-off to this cannibalism as exhibited by one 

 sex toward another, let me tell you of the extreme love 

 the spider has for her children. In no respect do spiders 



