AP TE RA. 
tiful natural grey colour; and almoft as handfome 
and ftrong as thofe made with common filk. 
But to obtain one pound of the fpiders filk would 
have required twenty-eight thoufand cods ; and as 
none but the females fpin thofe cods, a much greater 
number of fpiders muft have been bred. The main 
difficulty arifes from the carnivorous difpofition of 
fpiders, who devour each other. 
A proper food had been found for them in the loft 
fubftance of frefh quills. Some foreign fpiders fpin 
ftronger filk than ours, and in larger quantities. Had 
the lilk of fpiders anfwered, we fhouldhave had fe- 
veral genuine colours in filk ; fuch as grey, white, 
fky-blue, coffee-colour ; whereas filk-worms onl)| 
yield white and orange colour. 
The wandering Spider . 
This does not lie in wait for its prey, like the reff ; 
it is a lively, aflive, hunter ; its head is furnifhed 
with immoveable eyes; without any motion of the 
head the infeft perceives all the flies that hover 
round about, does not fcare them, but ffretches over 
them its arms furnifhed with feathers, which prove 
nets, in which their wings entangle. The fpider 
feizes them with its mercilefs claws, and fucks their 
blood. 
Birds are very fond of the egg-bag of fpiders, 
and of the young fpiders often found in it; they 
frequently 
