igB Of Spiders, 
ferving to the fame Purpofe. Thefe Claws 
or Pincers ftand horizontally ; and are, when 
not made ufe of, concealed in two Cafes 
contrived for their Reception : into which 
they fold like a Clafp-knife, and there lie 
between two Rows of Teeth, that are like- 
wife employed to hold fail its Prey. This 
Apparatus is better fhewn than defcribed : 
See Fig. VIII. 
Mr. Leeuwenhoek informs us, * that 
each of thefe Claws or Pincers has a fmall 
Aperture or Slit near its Point, as in a Viper’s 
Tooth ; thro’ which he fuppofes a poifon- 
ous Juice is injected into the Wound it 
makes, occafioning Death to Flies and other 
Infects. But Dr. Mead, in his moil: excel¬ 
lent EJfay on Poifons , believes this to be a 
great Miftake3 having not been able to dif- 
cern any Exit or Opening, tho* he viewed 
thefe Parts feveral Times with a very good 
Microfcope. And he was the more confirmed 
in this Opinion, by examining a Claw of the 
great American Spider, defcribed by Pi so, 
and called Nhamdu, given him by Mr. Pe- 
tiver ; which being about fifty Times 
bigger than that of any European Spider, if 
there had been any Slit in it, he doubted 
not his Glafs would have difcovered it j but 
yet he found it to be quite folid. Befides, 
# Vid. dre. Nat . 1 ’om. 1 Y. Par. II. p. 319. 
after 
