during the day-time, in order to deftroy it. This 
confifts in making a ibft hiffing noife through an 
oaten pipe. Whether the infe£t is enchanted with 
this found, or imagines it to be the voice of fome 
favourite prey, is uncertain; however, it always 
comes forth, and feldom fails becoming a facrifice 
to it's voracity. 
The Tarantula has eight legs, each of which 
has three joints, and covered with fine downy 
hair. They are of a whitifh colour at the bot- 
tom, and variegated with black lines ; but in the 
upper part, where they join the breaft, they are 
wholly black. They all originate from a kind 
of oval fhield placed on the breaft, black, hairy, 
and very hard ; and are fometimes denominated 
the fpiculum of the Tarantula. From the (boul- 
ders grow a pair of horns, or more properly 
arms, which the creature ufes in confining it's 
prey while killing it with it's forceps ; thefe horns 
or arms have an equal number of joints with the 
legs, but they greatly differ from them in being 
ihorter and yellower ; they are alfo covered with 
longer hair; and terminated with black claws, 
capable of bending in every dire(flion. The belly 
is either white, or of a pale yellow hue; and 
marked with a tranfverfe ftreak of black : this is 
furrounded with feveral other fpots of the fame 
colour, and cloathed with a very fine lliort down. 
The reft of the body is covered with pretty long 
hair of a whitifti or brownirti colour. The apex 
of the head, the Ihield of the breaft, and the ex- 
tremities of the forceps, are as hard as a crab's 
claws; but the reft of the body is covered wirh a 
tender, fupple flcin. The eyes, which are very 
large, and of a fine ftiining black colour, are con- 
tinually in motion; and, when feen during the 
night, or in a darkifh fituation, ftiine like the eyes 
of a cat. Where the mouth is placed in moft 
other animals, a black, hard forceps, arifes in this; 
the upper part of which inftrument is covered 
with yellow hair; and terminated by extremely 
fine and ftiarp claws, which the infcft is capable 
of clofing or ihutting up at pleafure. While the 
arms hold the prey in a proper pofition, thefe 
fliarp points infiift wounds on the body; and the 
other parts of the forceps fqueeze the viftim till 
all the juices are prefted out. The mouth is 
fituated confiderably below the forceps, exaftly 
])hiced for the reception of the juices exprefted by 
this operation. 
The Tarantula (leeps in it's cave during the 
whole winter, and a great part of the autumn and 
fpring; and if, during this time, it be difturbcd 
by the motion of the earth, or by any other 
means be removed from it's cell, it is found quite 
torpid and numbed, and incapable of the fmalleft 
exertion. 
A full-grown Tarantula is about the fize of a 
chefnut ; but fome old ones are confiderably larger. 
The female may be diftinguiftied from the male 
by the fuperior length of her legSj and largenefs 
of her belly. They copulate in the months of 
June and July; and at fuch times the females are 
often obferved in the fields carrying the males on 
their backs. In Aiaguft and September, they lay 
their eggs, which remain in the fame ftate during 
the whole winter, and are hatched tlie fucceeding 
fpring. 
Pliny relates a ftory of the young ones always 
devouring their parent for their firft food; which 
is countenanced by the obfervations of the pea- 
.iants of Apulia, who fay that they all furround 
^ Vol. IL 
TAR 
her, and extrail her juices in many parts at once, 
till they leave her lifelefs carcafe on the field ; af- 
ter which they go in queft of other food. 
The bite of the Tarantula, as it is called, is a 
wound infli£ted in a very peculiar manner. The 
creature pierces the fldn with it's forceps, and in- 
ftantly injedts from it's mouth a poifon into the 
wound. The time when the wounds of thefe fpi- 
ders ar» faid to be moft dangerous, is that of their 
copulation ; when they are in their utmoft vigour, 
and poftefs the moft noxious powers. People of 
condition are feldom hurt by them; but poor la- 
bourers, who fleep half naked in the fields; and 
women who travel the country with their feet un- 
covered, gathering medicinal herbs; are muchex- 
pofed to their injuries. 
The bite of this creature occafions a pain which 
at firft refembles that of the fting of a bee or an 
ant. In a few hours, the patient feels a numb- 
nefs; and the part affefted is marked with a fmall 
livid circle, which foon after rifes into a very pain- 
ful fwelling: fhortly after this, he falls into a pro- 
found fadnefs, breathes with much difficulty, his 
pulfe grows feeble, and his fenfes fail. At length 
he lofcs all fenfe and motion; and, according to 
fome naturalifts, expires, unlefs fpeedily relieved. 
But thefe fymptoms come on fomewhat difi^e- 
rently, according to the nature of the Tarantula, 
and the difpofition of the patient. An averfion 
for black and blue; and, on the contrary, a predi- 
leftion for white and red; are among the unac- 
countable fymptoms of this difeafe. All the me- 
dical affiftance hitherto difcovered, confifts in 
fome chirurgical applications on the wound, and 
in cordials and fudorifics which are of little fer- 
vice; but mufic, which reafon perhaps never 
could have pointed out, is faid to be infinitely 
more efficacious. 
No fooner has the perfon affefled loft his fenfe 
and motion, than a mufician tries feveral tunes on 
an inftrument; and when he has hit on onewhofe 
tones and modulations fuit the patient, he is im- 
mediately obferved to make a faint motion ; his 
fingers begin to move in cadence, then his arms, 
next his legs, and by degrees his whole body : then 
he rifes on his feet, and begins to dance, his ftrength 
and activity ftill increafing. Some will continue 
to dance for fix hours without intermiffion. Af- 
ter this the patient is put to bed; and when he is 
judged to be fufficiently recruited from his firft 
dance, he is allured out of bed by the fame tune, 
in order to afecond. 
This exercife is reiterated for feveral days fuc- 
ceffively, feven or eight at leaft; in which time 
the patient finds himfelf exceffively fatigued, and 
unable to dance any longer, the charadieriftic 
proof of his being cured; for, as long as the poi- 
fon a(fls on him, he would dance, if encouraged, 
till he fainted through extreme laffitude. Per- 
ceiving himfelf thus tired, he begins to reco- 
ver his reafon; and awakes, as out of a profound 
fleep, without the fmalleft recolleftion of what 
had pafied in his paroxyfm, or even in his danc- 
Sometimes the patient, on thus recovering from 
his firft accefs, is quite cured ; but if otherwife, he 
finds a melancholy gloom hanging over him, 
Ihunsthe fight of mankind, and fearches for wa- 
ter; and, if not carefully watched, would drown 
himfelf. Should he now efcape death, the fit re- 
turns at that time twelvemonth, when he is again 
driven to dancing; and fome are faid to have had 
4 N returns 
