70 
FINDING NATURE’S TREASURES 
black widow whenever you see her. There are several 
kinds of black spiders that have short legs and are cov¬ 
ered with hair. The black widow is the only spider I 
know which has a bright black color, long legs, and no 
hair. Some of the black widow spiders have a spot or 
two of red on their backs, but others do not have those 
spots. However, all black widows have a red spot on the 
under side.” 
“Uncle Jack, should we kill the black widow whenever 
we find her?” asked Fred. 
“Yes,” replied Uncle Jack. “I never kill any of the 
other spiders, but I kill the black widows just as I kill 
rattlesnakes.” 
“What is that round gray ball in her web?” asked 
Bess. 
“That is a little silken bag,” replied Uncle Jack. “Mrs. 
Black Widow makes the bag and then lays her eggs in it. 
The bag is strong; so the eggs are dry and safe inside. 
When the babies hatch, they crawl out.” 
“There are some little black things in the web that 
look like tiny spiders. Can those be baby black widows?” 
asked Buddy. 
“Well, I did not see them before,” answered Uncle 
Jack, as he looked at the web. “Yes, those are baby 
spiders, and there are more than a hundred of them. 
They have just come out of the silken bag.” 
“Spiders are not insects, are they, Uncle Jack?” asked 
Marylee. 
“No,” answered her uncle. “All spiders have eight 
