I3 8 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



it, and through these the poisonous fluid flows into the 

 wound, and often proves fatal to animals as large as dogs. 

 The large Scorpions of warm countries are fatal even to 

 man ; but the species which inhabit Europe do not 

 appear to be so. Scorpions take up their abode under 

 stones, amongst ruins, in caves, and other damp places ; 

 and feed upon Beetles, Woodlicc, various ground insects, 

 and on the eggs of Spiders and Insects. 



The female is very attentive to her young ones, and 

 carries them on her back until they can shift for them- 

 selves. 



Spiders. The Spiders are so well known to you that 

 it is scarcely necessary to describe their general form ; but 

 as you may not yet have examined 

 one carefully, I will just tell you 

 something about their spinnerets 

 (Fig. 97). These arc the mouths 

 of four bags, which receive a sort 

 of fluid silk from a gland inside 

 the body; and through this the 

 wonderfully fine threads of which 

 the Spider spins its web, are 

 drawn. Each of these spinnerets 

 is pierced with innumerable little 



openings, from each of which the exquisitely fine silk pro- 

 ceeds, all the threads uniting into the one which is percep- 

 tible to our eyes. All spiders have spinnerets, but they use 

 their threads for different purposes, according to their 

 habits. Some employ it as you know the Geometrical 

 or Garden Spider (Fig. 98) does for constructing the 

 wonderful web ; so does the common house spider, whose 

 web is like a flat piece of very thin gauze fastened up 

 in an angle, of the walls. Some weave for themselves 

 habitations in which they live ; others make their home 

 in crevices in walls, which they line with their soft, silky 



