114 On JYorth American S]}ide7-s. 



mediately, upon its being exposed to the air, turns to a dry substance, 

 and exceedingly rarifies and extends itself. Now if it be a liquor, 

 it is hard to conceive how they should let out a fine even thread, with- 

 out expelling a little drop at the end of it ; but none such can be dis- 

 cerned. But there is no need of this ; for it is only separating that 

 part of the web b c, Fig. 2, from a b, and the end of the web is al- 

 ready out. Indeed, Sir, I never could distinctly see them do this : 

 so small a piece of web being imperceptible among the spider's legs. 

 But 1 cannot doubt but that it is so, because there is a necessity that 

 they should some way or other separate the web a b, Fig. 3, from 

 their tails, before they can let out the web b c. And then I know 

 they do have ways of dividing their webs by biting them off, or in 

 some other way. Otherwise they could not separate themselves 

 from the web a b, Fig. 3. 



" And this. Sir, is the way of spiders going from one tree to anoth- 

 er, at a great distance ; and this is the way of their flying in the air. 

 And, although I say I am certain of it, I don't desire that the truth 

 of it should be received upon my word ; though I could bring others 

 to testify to it, to whom I have shown it, and who have looked on, 

 with admiration, to see their manner of working. But every one's 

 eyes, that will take the pains to observe, will make them as sure of 

 it. Only those, that would make the experiment, must take notice that 

 it is not every sort of spider that is a flying spider, for those spiders 

 that keep in houses are a quite different sort, as also those that keep 

 in the ground, and those that keep in swamps, in hollow trees, and 

 rotten logs ; but those spiders, that keep on branches of trees and 

 shrubs, are the flying spiders. They delight most in walnut trees, 

 and are that sort of spiders that make those curious network poly- 

 gonal webs, that are so frequently to be seen in the latter end of the 

 year. There are more of this sort of spiders by far than of any 

 other. 



" But yet. Sir, I am assured that the chief end of this faculty, that 

 is given them, is not their recreation, but their destruction ; because 

 their destruction is unavoidably the effect of it ; and we shall find 

 nothing, that is the continual effect of nature, but what is of the means 

 by which it is brought to pass. But it is impossible, but that the 

 greatest part of the spiders upon the land should, every year, be swept 

 into the ocean. For these spiders never fly, except the weather is 

 fair and the atmosphere diy 5 but the atmosphere is never clear, nei- 

 ther in this nor anv other continent ^ onlv when the wind blows from 



