CHAPTEK III. 



MANUFACTURE OP SILK BY SPIDERS. 



OUR history of the silk manufacture among in- 

 sects would be incomplete without a notice of the 

 labours of spiders. Not only do these insects pro- 

 duce filmy webs to entrap their prey, but they 

 also spin, for the protection of their eggs, a bag 

 not much unlike the cocoon of the silkworm. At 

 the beginning of the last century a method was 

 discovered of procuring silk from these spiders' 

 bags, and of making it into several useful articles. 

 The experiments took place in France, and it was 

 there discovered that two species of spider in par- 

 ticular produced strong and beautiful silk, capable 

 of being usefully employed. The structure of 

 these insects was closely examined by the cele- 



