268 
natural history. 
water ; and in being capable of spinning as well in one ele- 
ment as the other. Their appearance underwater is very re- 
markable; for though they inhabit the bottom, yet they are 
never touched by the element in which they reside, but are 
enclosed in a bubble of air that, like a box, surrounds them 
on every side. This bubble has the bright appearance, at the 
bottom, of quicksilver; and within this, they perform their 
several functions of eating, spinning and sleeping, without 
its ever bursting, or in the least disturbing their operations. 
The Tarantula is also of this species, and deserves parti- 
cular notice, only for the numerous falsehoods which have been 
propagated concerning it. Wlmt may be said with truth con- 
cerning it is, that it is the largest of the spider kind known 
in Europe, and is a native of Apulia, in Italy. Its body is 
three quarters of an inch long, and about as thick as a man’s 
little finger; the colour isgenerally an olive brown, variegated 
with one that is more dusky ; it has eight legs, and eig.ht 
eyes, like the rest, and nippers, which are sharp and serrated ; 
between these and the fore legs there arc two little horns, 
or feelers, which it is observed to move very briskly when it 
approaches its prey. It is covered all over the body with a soft 
down ; and propagates, as other spiders, by laying eggs. In 
the summer months, particularly in the dog days, the taran- 
tula creeping among the corn, bites the mowers and pas- 
sengers ; but in winter it lurks in holes, and is seldom seen. 
Thus far is true ; but now the fable begins: for though the 
bite is attended with no dangerous symptoms, and will easily 
cure of itself, wonderful stories are reported concerning its 
virulence. At first the pain is scarcely felt ; but a few hours 
after, a violent sickness is said to come on, with difficulty of 
breathing, fainting, and sometimes trembling. The person 
bit after this does nothing but laugh, dance and skip about, 
putting himself into the most extravagant postures ; and some- 
times also is seized with a most frightful melancholy. At the 
return of the season in which he was bit, his madness begins 
again ; and thepatient always talksofthe same things. Some- 
times he fancies himself a shepherd ; sometimes a king ; these 
troublesome symptoms sometimes return for several years suc- 
cessively, and at last terminate in death. But so dreadful a 
disorder has it seems not been left without a remedy ; which 
is no other than a well played fiddle. For this purpose the 
medical musician plays a particular tune, famous for the cure, 
which he begins slow, and increases in quickness as ne sees 
the patient affected. The patient no sooner hears the music, 
than he begins to dance; and continues so doing till he is all 
over in a sweat, which forces out the venom that appeared so 
