SPIDER. 469 



lilting a manufacture of spider's silk ; and the Royal Academy, 

 to which the scheme was proposed, appointed the ingenious 

 Reaumur to repeat the experiments of Monsieur Bon, in order to 

 ascertain how far the proposed plan might be carried; but, after 

 making the proper trials, Mr. Reaumur found it to be impractica- 

 ble, on account of the natural disposition of these animals, which 

 is such as will by no means admit of their living peaceably toge- 

 ther in large numbers. Mr. Reaumur also computed that 663,522 

 spiders would scarcely furnish a single pound of silk. Monsieur 

 Bon however, the first projector, carried his experiments so far as 

 to obtain two or three pair of stockings and gloves of this silk, 

 which were of an elegant grey colour, and were presented, as 

 samples, to the Royal Academy. It must be observed, that in this 

 manufacture it is the silk of the egg-bags alone that can be used, 

 being far stronger than that of the webs. Monsieur Bon collected 

 twelve or thirteen ounces of these, and having caused them to be 

 well cleared of dust, by properly beating with sticks, he washed 

 them perfectly clean in warm water. After this they were laid to 

 steep, in a large vessel, with soap, salt-petre, and gum arabic. 

 The whole was left to boil over a gentle fire for three hours, and 

 were afterwards again washed to get out the soap ; then laid to 

 dry for some days, after which they were carded, but with much 

 smaller cards than ordinary. The silk is easily spun into a fine 

 and strong thread : the difficulty being only to collect the silk- 

 bags in sufficient quantity. 



Monsieur Reaumur, among his objections, states, that the 

 thread, notwithstanding Mr. Bon's description, is far inferior to 

 that of the silkworm, both in lustre and strength : the thread of 

 the spider's web, according to this author, bears a weight of only 

 twelve grains without breaking ; whereas that of the silkworm 

 bears the weight of thirty-six. 



The egg-bags used for the purpose were, probably, those of th* 

 aranea diadema, and others nearly allied to it. 



We have before observed, that these insects are but ill calculated 

 for living in society. Whenever thus stationed, they never fail to 

 wage war with each other. The females in particular are of a dis 

 position peculiarly capricious and malignant ; and it is observed 

 that if the male happens to pay his courtship at an unfavourable 

 moment, the female suddenly springs upon him and destroys him. 



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