THE LIVING WORLD. 
216 
spider’s threads to equal the bulk of a hair. One can appreciate the resources, 
the industry, and the skill of this insect, so little understood by persons, 
as to realize the lack of honor that is said to attend a prophet in his own 
country. Another advantage which the spider gains from this multiplication of 
threads, is the protection against total loss when a guy-rope breaks. The 
spider shoots out his little silken quills, whose direction he guides by the nice 
sense of touch, which seems to inhere in his hind-legs. After stretching lines 
to make the warp, the house-spider crosses these by a superposed woof, which 
is not interlaced; as the spider uses the ancient English method of employing 
her limbs as weaving rods, its web will be found to have the same lengths as 
its radii. Contrary to popular belief, she does not remain at the centre of her 
web, but quite frequently constructs on the edge of the web what the French 
call a porte-cochere, whence she comes to welcome her guests “with hospitable 
hands to bloody graves,” though not without much affectation of style. 
The Ribbon-Linked Spider ( Scolo 
pendra lucasi) has a body which looks 
like links of ribbons. It is about six 
inches in length, and is found in France 
and in some islands. 
The Milleped ( Jalus terrestris ) is 
the many-footed soldier of German ento¬ 
mology. It has two pairs of legs attached 
to each segment; its thorax and abdomen 
are not separate; it breathes by means 
of spiracles, stigmata, or air-holes; it has 
two pairs of paws. It is found as early 
as the Carboniferous age. It undergoes 
no true metamorphosis, but when passing 
from stage to stage of growth, doubles 
itself up, splits the integument, 
and bursts forth into new life. 
The Obisium trombidiorides is 
a very singular-looking, top-shaped 
creature belonging to the scorpion 
family. 
The Tarantula (Lycosa taran¬ 
tula) a deadly species, is named from the place of its discovery—Tarentum, in 
Italy—but it is uncomfortably frequent in the southern country. It is a mason- 
spider, living in the ground and keeping its front door closed to all intruders. 
Its bite is not, as supposed, fatal, but it is generally very troublesome. It is said 
that if unmolested the tarantula will cross one’s body without attacking the 
person, though its course will be marked by small, irritating red marks. This 
statement, however, only applies to the centipede. The tarantula is as coura¬ 
geous as a sparrow, and when attacking man, will, it is said, aim always at the face. 
The Skin Spider (Demodex folliculorum ) sometimes invades the hair 
follicles and the sebaceous glands of the nose; it is inj urious to hides and 
skins, but harmless to the human being. It uses skins or hides as nests for 
its larvae, and frequently renders them useless for the purpose of commerce. 
The Black Spider (Cltaxypsilophorus) lives in the gills of a fresh-water mussel. 
IO. MINING SPIDER. 12 . WOLF SPIDER. 14. CRAB SPIDER 
(Thomisus ratius ). 4. velvet mite. 22. ( Glomeris 
marginata). 
