360 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 



Besides, this spinning material can flow off through a wide spool and pro- 

 duce the necessary spinningwork for throwing on the animals. Pholcus 

 has a large gland and a wide spool. Apstein believes that this gland 

 serves to throw threads on the animals in the web, and keep them there. 1 



NOTE E. MEDICINAL PROPERTY OF SPIDER WEBS. 



(PAGE 95.) 



Dr. James, in his Medical Dictionary, introduces his article Araneus 2 

 with this statement : " Both Spider and the Web are used in Medicine. 

 The Spider is said to avert the Paroxism of Fevers if it be applied to the 

 Pulse of the Wrist, or Temples, but is peculiarly recommended for a 

 Quartan, being inclosed in the Shell of a Hazle-nut. The Web astringes 

 and conglutinates, and is therefore vulnerary, retains Bleeding and prevents 

 any Inflamations." 



NOTE F. EFFECTS OF SPIDER POISON. 



(PAGE 281.) 



Dr. James, in his Dictionary, quotes from the works of Harvy the fol- 

 lowing sentence, which shows that the distinguished discoverer of the cir- 

 culation of the blood was a fearless experimenter and an earnest searcher 

 after Truth : " Having for Trial's sake pricked my hand with a Needle I 

 after rubbed the point of the same Needle with the Tooth of the spider, 

 and perforated the Skin therewith in another part of my Hand, but could 

 distinguish no Difference in the Sense of the Punctures. However there 

 was one remarkable enough in the Skin, for in the Envenomed Puncture 

 the same was soon raised up into a Tubercle looking red with Heat, and 

 Inflamations rising up as it were to shake off the inflicted." 



Doleshall shut up small birds with Mygalse javanica and M. suma- 

 trensis, both large and strong spiders, and the birds died in a few sec- 

 onds after being bitten. One of the spiders was left for ten days with- 

 out food, and then was made to bite another bird, which was injured, but 

 in six hours recovered. The same author was bitten in the finger by a 

 Jumping spider. The pain was severe for a few minutes, and was fol- 

 lowed by lameness of the finger, and gradually of the hand and arm, which 

 soon went away entirely. 3 



Bertkau allowed spiders to bite his hand. On the ends of the fingers 

 the skin was too thick to be penetrated, but between the fingers they easily 

 pricked it. The bite swelled and smarted for a quarter of an hour, and 

 then itched for some time, and for a day after itched whenever rubbed, as 

 mosquito bites will do. He also experimented on flies, which died in a 



1 Apstein, op cit. 2 Med. Diet., Vol. I., London, 1743. 



3 Quoted by Emerton, " Structure and Habits," page 34. 



