SPIDER. 
527 
little aquatic insect is not exposed to the itnme^ 
diate action of the water, but is surrounded by a 
bubble of air, which forms, as it were, a kind of 
dwelling for the inclosed animal, and gives it a 
very bright appearance when seen from the surface. 
It fixes its slender thread to the stalks of the water- 
plants, and lodges during the winter in a vacant 
shell, carefully closing the mouth with a slight 
web. 
In many parts of the East Indies and in South 
America, there is a spider of an enormous size, and 
of a most hideous appearance. This creature is 
"Called the bird-catching spider, Aranea avicularia , 
Linn., from its actually being strong enough to 
destroy small birds, by first wounding them with 
its poisoned fangs and then sucking their blood. 
The whole of this animal’s body is covered with 
brown hair, and the fangs are so large that the slit 
near the end through which the venom is ejected 
may be seen without the assistance of a glass. The 
legs of this spider are as thick as a moderate goose 
quill, and are terminated by two sharp claws. We 
may judge how formidable such an insect must be, 
when we consider that the body including the head 
is nearly three inches long, and that, when the legs 
are stretched out, the wdiole will measure between 
eight and ten inches. Eight eyes are placed in the 
front of this creature's thorax, two of which are 
much larger than the rest. Thus formed for a life 
of rapacity, the bird-catching spider watches for its 
