Facts and Thoughts about Spiders. 193 



When a person passes near one — say, within three 

 or four yards of its lurking-place — it starts up and 

 gives chase, and will often follow for a distance of. 

 thirty or forty yards. I came once very nearly 

 being bitten by one of these savage creatures 

 Biding at an easy trot over the dry grass, I suddenly 

 observed a spider pursuing me, leaping swiftly along 

 and keeping up with my beast. I aimed a blow 

 with my whip, and the point of the lash struck the 

 ground close to it, when it instantly leaped upon 

 and ran up the lash, and was actually within three 

 or four inches of my hand when I flung the whip 

 from me. 



The gauchos have a very quaint ballad which tells 

 that the city of Cordova was once invaded by an 

 army of monstrous spiders, and that the towns- 

 people went out with beating drums and flags flying 

 to repel the invasion, and that after firing several 

 volleys they were forced to turn and fly for their 

 lives. I have no doubt that a sudden great increase 

 of the man-chasing spiders, in a year exceptionally 

 favourable to them, suggested this fable to some 

 rhyming satirist of the town. 



In conclusion of this part of my subject, I will 

 describe a single combat of a very terrible nature 

 I once witnessed between two little spiders belong- 

 ing to the same species. One had a small web 

 against a wall, and of this web the other coveted 

 possession. After vainly trying by a series of 

 strategic movements to drive out the lawful owner, 

 it rushed on to the web, and the two envenomed 

 little duellists closed in mortal combat. They did 

 nothing so vulgar and natural as to make use of 



