THE TARANTULA. 141 



Exploded as a popular error. 



genious work has effectually exploded this opi-? 

 nion as a popular error; and in the Philosophical 

 Transactions for the year 1770, is a letter from 

 Dominico Girillo, M. D. Professor of Natural 

 History in the University of Naples, wherein 

 taking notice of Serao's hook, he says, that hav- 

 ing had an opportunity of examining the effects 

 of this animal in the province of Taranto, where 

 it is found in great ahundance, he finds that the 

 surprising cure of the bite of the tarantula by 

 music has nat the least truth in it, and that it is 

 only an invention of the people, who want to 

 get a little money by dancing when they say the 

 tarantism begins. He makes no doubt but some- 

 times the heat of the climate contributes very 

 much to warm their imaginations, and throw 

 jhem into a delirium, which may be in some 

 measure cured by music; but several experiments 

 have been tried with the tarantulas, and neither 

 man nor animal after the bite has had any other 

 complaint than a very trifling inflammation upon 

 the part, like that produced by the bite of the 

 scorpion, which goes off by itself without any 

 ganger at all. In Sicily, where the summer is 

 ptiil warmer than in my part of the kingdom of 

 Naples, the tarantula is never dangerous; and 

 music is never employed for the cure of the pre- 

 tended tarantism. 



Mr. Swinburne, when he was in Italy, minute- 

 ly investigated every particular relative to this 

 jnsect; but the season was not far enough a4 



