Facts and Thoughts about Spiders, 193 
When a person passes near one — say, within three 
or four yards of its lurking-piace — 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 
Riding 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 wfill 
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 
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