394 CLASS ARACHNIDA. 



fellow-labouvers in \he Encyclopedic Me thodique, M. Amedee 

 Lepelletier de St. Fargeau, has observed, that these animals, 

 as well as the Crustacea, possess the faculty of regenerating 

 their lost members. 



I have ascertained that a single sting of an ai'ane'id of 

 middle size will kill our domestic fly in the space of a few 

 minutes. It is also certain, that the bite of those large 

 arane'ides of South America, which are known under the 

 name of crab-spiders, and which we range in the genus 

 mygale, will kill small vertebrated animals, such as little 

 birds, colibris, pigeons, &c., and may produce a violent 

 attack of fever in man himself. The wound even of some 

 species of our southern climates, has proved mortal. We 

 may, then, without adopting all the fables which Baglivi and 

 others have put forth respecting the tarantula, be cautious, 

 especially in w^arm climates, of the bite of the arane'ides, and 

 particularly of the large species. Divers species of the genus 

 sphex of Linnaeus seize the araneides, pierce them with their 

 sting, and transport them into the holes where they have 

 deposited their eggs, that they may serve as food for their 

 young. Most part of these animals perish in the after season ; 

 but there are some which live many years, and of this num- 

 ber are the mygale, lycosa, and probably several others. 

 Though Pliny says that the phalangium are unknown in 

 Italy, we nevertheless presume that these last araneides, and 

 other large species, spinning no web, and also the galeodes, 

 are the animals designed collectively by that name, and of 

 which many species are distinguished. Such was also the 

 opinion of Mouffet, who has figured as a species of phalangium, 

 a lycosa, or a mygale of the island of Candia. 



Lister, who was the first properly to observe the araneides 

 whose habits fell under his notice, viz. those of Great Britain, 

 has laid the basis of a natural distribution, which all subse- 

 quent authors have done little more than modify. The more 



