64 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISOENOES. 



upon them or close to their body. 

 In a moment they become very 

 restless and try to escape, but 

 quickly the nerve centers become 

 affected with gradual paralysis 

 of the limbs, and thus they can be 

 handled without the least risk. In 

 fact, the latter is much o\erdone; 



late their victims generally after, 

 leaping upon them — hence their 

 appropiate name: "Jumping Ta- 

 rantula. ' ' 



The adjoining photo-illustra- 

 tions of two oval shaped cocoons 

 on acactus leaf also is of rare in- 

 terest; representing one of the 



Black and Gray Tarantula on Cocoon, with YouiJg Brood. 



like most other wild animals, they 

 seem to feel the superior human 

 power and always retreat first, 

 and try to seek a safe place be- 

 fore they put up a fight and bite 

 only, after direct contact or se- 

 vere provocation. The curved 

 fangs of this vicious type is rath- 

 er small for its size, but the -poison 

 glands are large and they inocu- 



large black leaping tarantula and 

 one of the gray and speckled types 

 on top of one of the cocoons, with 

 a number of its young brood. A 

 rent in one of the cocoons shows 

 some of the ova inside the breed- 

 ing nest. The two spiders were 

 this time chloroformed, but not 

 dead, before taking the view. 



Some Texas Insect Killers 



Were a majority of the myri- 

 ads of injects throughout the con- 

 tinent not daily and hourly kiilel 

 by their enemies, humanity would 

 indeed be in a terrible dilemma, 

 but nature has wisely provided 

 that insect life be kept in certain 

 limits of development and in- 

 crease, and a constant war of de- 

 struction is occurring, from the 



minutest of animalcules up to the 

 higher organized insects. 



These enemies of insect life are 

 manifold, but we know that in 

 particular certain bird species and 

 some insect destroy enormous 

 amounts of the dipterous pests, 

 but human genius is still wanting 

 in inventing some radical remedy 

 for the wholesale destruction, for 



