On North American Spiders, 111 



to be such. He has laid it upon me to write the account, I having 

 had advantage to make more full observations than himself. Forgive 

 me that I do not conceal my name, and communicate this to you 

 through a mediator. I do not state it as an hypothesis, but as a plain 

 fact, which my own eyes have witnessed, and which every one's sen- 

 ses may make him as certain of as of any thing else. Although 

 these things appear to me thus certain, still I 'submit the whole to 

 your better judgment and deeper insight. And I humbly beg to be 

 pardoned for running the venture, though an utter stranger, of troub- 

 ling you with so prolix an account of that, which I am altogether un- 

 certain, whether you will esteem worthy of the time and pains of 

 reading. If you think the observations childish, and beside the rules 

 of decorum, — with greatness and goodness overlook it in a child. 

 Pardon me, if I thought it might at least give you occasion to make 

 better observations, such as should be worthy of communicating to 

 the learned world, respecting these wondrous animals, from whose 

 glistening web so much of the wisdom of the Creator shines. 



" I am, Sir, your most obedient, humble servant. 



"Jonathan Edwards." 



^^ M.ay it please your Honor, — There are some things I have hap- 

 pily seen of the wondrous way of the v/orking of the spider. Al- 

 though every thing belonging to this insect is admirable, there are 

 some phenomena relating to them more particularly wonderful. Ev- 

 ery body that is used to the country, knows their marcliing in the 

 air from one tree to another, sometimes at the distance of five or six 

 rods. Nor can one go out in a dewy morniijg, at the latter end of 

 August and the beginning of September, but he shall see multitudes 

 of webs, made visible by the dew that hangs on them, reaching from 

 one tree, branch and shrub, to another : which webs are commonly 

 thought to be made in the night, because they appear only in the 

 morning; whereas none of them are made in the night, for these 

 spiders never corae out in the night when it is dark, as the dew is 

 then falling. But these webs may be seen well enough in the day- 

 time by an observing eye, by their reflection in the sun-beams. Es- 

 pecially late in the afternoon, may these webs, that are between the 

 eye and that part of the horizon that is under the sun, be seen very 

 plainly, being advantageously posited to reflect the rays. And the 

 spiders themselves may be very often seen tjavelling in the air, from 

 one stage to another amongst the trees, in a very unaccountable man- 

 ner. But I havp often seen that, v/hich is n:nch morr astonishing. 



