A MASTERLY BRIGAND 
“ I came in past the new well in Daddy 
Thornton’s pasture to-day,” observed Uncle 
John, “ and what do you think? A band of 
brigands have domiciled themselves in the big 
mound of clay. Each one has built a watch- 
tower of grass and dirt fastened together with 
silk or of twigs put in place in the same clever 
fashion. I caught the gleam of several wicked¬ 
looking eyes peering out at me, but when I ven¬ 
tured nearer and peeped into the turrets, the rob¬ 
bers had all fled into their strongholds below.” 
“ Hmm! ” said Tommy, shrewdly. “ Weren’t 
you afraid of being stung? They are sand wasps, 
I suppose? ” 
“ No, sir. Sand wasps do not build watch- 
towers. They are wolf spiders, of the species 
particularly known as Lycosa carolinensis, a very 
close kin of the famous tarantulas of Southern 
Europe, whose bite was long supposed to cause a 
peculiar disease called dancing madness. They 
are large hairy creatures, dressed in black velvet 
underneath, with brown stripes on the abdomen, 
and gray and white rings around the legs. 
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