we ee) ee Se a ee aT 
276 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 
was bitten by one of the large, beautiful Nephilas who spin their huge 
orbwebs in the forests of Jamaica. Coming through the woods at early 
dawn his face came into collision with one of the strong webs. He stopped 
to brush it off, and immediately felt some large insect run down his body, 
which presently bit him on his great toe. The pain was less severe than 
that following the sting of a wasp, or even the puncture of a Tabanus; 
but the man described it as having three distinct paroxysms—if one may 
use such a term for so small a matter. The pain was not of long duration. 
Here, as in so many other cases, the record fails positively to show that 
the wound was really inflicted by a spider, but that may be inferred. 
An English gentleman records that while removing some old boxes 
he felt a sharp nip in the hand between the fore finger and thumb, and 
found a large spider fastened on his hand, which at first he could not 
push off, as his fangs were fastened in the skin. 
After killing the spider he found two small holes, 
one twenty-fourth of an inch apart, filled with 
blood. There was a tingling sensation in the part 
for eighteen hours afterward, with a tenderness in 
the wound.! 
It must be confessed that the experiments of 
naturalists, as well as their observations, are un- 
favorable to the popular belief in the dangerous 
character of the spider’s stroke, except in the case 
of the very large species, such as our American 
tarantula. I can only say for myself, that having 
handled thousands of living spiders, taking them 
up with my fingers, and permitting them to crawl 
ve ee on hands or face, I have never experienced the 
Fic. 253. The Saltigrade spider, . . i 
Phidippus morsitans (Walck.), ‘lightest mconvenience, and have only been con- 
much enlarged. sciously bitten two or three times. Other than this, 
if I have been pricked by the fangs, the wound has been so insignificant 
as entirely to escape notice. 
Yet the belief in the venomous, if not fatal, character of the spider’s 
stroke is so deeply rooted in the popular mind that it would be almost 
impossible to eradicate it. The question arises, is not this 
The Pop- general belief worthy of credence? If it were unsupported by 
ular No- ¢ cts, I certainly should not hesitate to answer, no! There is so 
Haas acts, I certainly shou , no! 
much ignorance, amounting even to absurdity, as to the danger- 
ous character of many insects and other inferior animals, and ignorance 
has so often shaded into superstition, that one is justified in holding even 
a widespread popular opinion of no yalue until the contrary is demon- 
strated. However, the problem is much confused by what appear to be 
1 Science Gossip, page 165, 1868. 
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