278 AMERICAN SPIDERS AND THEIR SPINNINGWORK. 
retaliate upon its puny assailant, but commenced to pull with all its force 
to liberate the imprisoned limb. This was accomplished after a few sec- 
onds, when it hurried to its corner and began to work at the 
Volun- wounded limb with its palpi, falces, and labium. At first he had 
Re Ah impression that it was trying to suck the poison from the 
putation. ’ ; 
wound, but was surprised to see the spider pull the wounded 
limb out of its socket and cast it away. On picking up the discarded leg, 
a small globule of what seemed to be poison was seen glistening on the 
place where the spider had fastened. This case of voluntary amputation 
may have been caused by consciousness of the effect of the poison, but 
just as likely by the hurt of the puncture and crushing alone. 
Mr. Blackwall directed his attention to the effects of the poison of spi- 
ders upon their own order. The following examples will show the unyary- 
ing result of his investigations. A female Epeira diademata, in 
Spider 4 violent struggle with a female Ccelotes saxatilus, pierced her 
Venom .hdomen in the medial line of the dorsal region, about one- 
versus , : ; : 
Spiders, third of its length from the spinnerets. The wounded spider 
did mot exhibit any marked symptoms of distress, and speedily 
resumed its accustomed habits. Two female Diadematas were engaged in 
a severe contest, when one of them was seized by the fangs of her antag- 
onist near the middle of the right side of the abdomen. A brown fluid 
flowed from the punctures and soon coagulated. But the spider appeared 
to be only slightly and very briefly affected by the injury. Another female 
Diademata in a highly excited state bit itself near the middle of the fe- 
mur of the left anterior leg. A transparent fluid flowed copiously from 
the wounded part. Coagulation, however, quickly ensued, after which the 
spider manifested no unfavorable symptom whatever. 
A male Tegenaria civilis, in a violent struggle with a female of the 
same species, deeply inserted his fangs near the middle of the dorsal region 
of her abdomen, and retained his hold for several seconds. 
Tegenaria fyom the punctures thus made a brown fluid issued copiously, 
le and in a few minutes coagulated. The injured spider appeared 
to suffer very little from the severe wounds it had received, as 
it speedily constructed a small web in a phial in which it was confined, and 
continued for more than a year to feed freely on the flies introduced to it. 
A female Ciniflo atrox was bitten by an exasperated female Lycosa 
agretica near the middle of the cephalothorax. The Lycosa retained its 
hold for many seconds, and, on quitting it voluntarily, a transparent fluid 
flowed from the punctures and coagulated. The wounded spider, appar- 
ently regardless of the injury it had received, spun a web with which it 
long continued to ensnare its victims. It thus appeared that the injuries 
inflicted by spiders, in a number of genera and species, seem to exercise 
no greater degree of influence upon other spiders than upon the human 
species. 
A tae 
1 oe ele eee eee: 
