THE SPIDER. ^6^ 



in this manner tliey arc carried by tlie parent, lilie ?.no- 

 ther body attached to her ourn. 



With all this tendernefs for its young, there is no 

 animal more ferocious, or more powerfully armed for de- 

 ilru£tion than the fpider : It can deftroy infe^ls far above 

 its fize ; and its indifcriminate rapacity does not even 

 fpare thofe of its own kind. Reaumur, when he endeavour- 

 ed to turn the labours of different infefts that fpin filk to 

 the advantage of mr.n, was foiled in all his attempts to 

 domefticate the fpider. He provided them with a habi- 

 tation, and with every kind of food, flies, and blood in 

 the ends of unripe feathers, a morfel of which they are 

 particularly fond : but all was in vain ; their malignant 

 nature rendered them unSt for fociety, and turned them 

 from their food to deflroy each other.. By pevfeverance, 

 however, he obtained as much of the fillc intended for 

 the covering of their eggs, as enabled him to manufac- 

 ture a pair of gloves of thefe curious materials. 



Aranea hortenjls. This fpecies frequents the garden 

 trees, among the branches of wh.ich it fpins its web, and 

 nations itfelf in the centre. The body is of a brcwnifn 

 colour; the eyes very fmall, and of a violet purple f. 

 With the filk of this fpider M. Bon of Languedoc con- 

 trived to manufa^ure a pair of filk ftockings, of a fine 

 grey colour, and in ftrength and elegance nearly equal to 

 thofe of common filk. 



Aranen dotncjlica. This fpecies inhabits windows and 

 unfrequented apartments ; it is oblcng, and of a brown 

 colour ; the abdomen black. This animal has four ca- 



4 B 2 \i:ics 



\ Lifter, Aran. %%. 



