On JYorth American Spiders. 121 



webs, several yards long, which waved m the breeze, diverging from 

 each other like a pencil of rays : one had two distinct and widely di- 

 verging fasciculi of webs, so that a line uniting them, would have 

 been at right angles to the direction of the breeze.' Now such di- 

 vergence in these fasciculi of fibres is utterly inexplicable, except on 

 the supposition of their being invested with electricity ; and they find 

 a beautiful analogy in the divergence that ensues, in the fibres of a 

 glass plume affixed to the conductor of an electrical machine, when 

 in action." 



"On board the 'Royal Adelaide' of 120 guns, then in ordinary at 

 Devonport, they were annoyed with small spiders alighting on the 

 ship, with a dry easterly wind.' 'Three aeronautic spiders were al- 

 lowed to ascend from the same spot, when it was observed that each 

 one moved in adiflierent direction. Clouds afterwards collected and 

 obscured the sky, and then our attempts to favor their ascent were 

 unavailing; not one succeeded, and all fell like lead to the ground.' " 



This electric theory is certainly ingenious, and not improbable ; 

 indeed it is certain that the suspended threads cannot remain unelec- 

 trified, and that both attraction and repulsion must ensue, but still 

 the difficult question occurs — why does the repulsion, or repulsion 

 and attraction combined, tend so frequently to project the thread up- 

 ward or in any other given direction, correspondent with its length ; 

 we should look for the principal effect of attraction and repulsion to 

 be exerted in a lateral direction, and this would not tend to project 

 the thread, but rather to bend or turn it as the forces prevailed on 

 the one side or the other ; if it could be shown that prevailing elec- 

 tric attractions are exerted from above downward, or repulsions from 

 below upward, the ascent of the web or fibre would be accounted for, 

 and so of any other direction. In the English Magazine of Natural 

 History, for the last two years, there is a protracted discussion be- 

 tween Mr. Murray and Mr. Blackwall, on the electricity of the spi- 

 der's, and the subject appears to be involved in a degree of obscurity. 

 * * * * * * * * * 



Spiders, odious and disgusting as they are, have been petted ; 

 one was tamed by a prisoner in the Bastile, and made to come regu- 

 larly at the sound of a musical instrument to receive his repast of 

 flies ; another man, also a prisoner, tamed eight hundred of thera^ 

 which he kept in one apartment, and they too were accustomed to as- 



VoL. 11.— No. 1. 16 



