ae 
200 +~=©)s NATURAL HISTORY, 
. wings, fuch generally fall the victims of the {pider, 
Pee a Te oe 
They never reflected, that the fame providence which 
knows the fpider is hated, and that her web is always 
in danger of injury, could furnifh her with a maga- 
zine of both gum and thread, for fuch exigencies ; 
and that when the maguzine was exhautied, it could, 
by the fame means, be replenifhed. However, it muit 
be admitted the recruits fail in time ; for, when the 
infect grows old, it is deprived of its weaving mate- 
rials: {t is theretore obliged to depend on the gen- 
erous compaflion of the young fpider, who ‘will fre- 
quently refign its own web to the infirm infect, and 
weave for itfelf another. 
The web of the. garden fpider differs almoft as 
much from the web of a houfe {pider, as a net does 
froma clofe weaved piece of cloth; But it is, per- 
haps, more curfous in its formation. They greatly 
reiemble a wheel, that has bars crofling the {pokes 
at equal diftances. ‘Thefe {paces are in proportion to . 
the fize of the prey the fpider defigns shall not pafs — 
through them. Being too imall for large flies, moths, 
butterflies, &c. to pafs through with their expanded 
whenever they unknowingly fly againft its web. 
Having given this general defcription of what is 
moft-extraordinary in the tpider, we fhall now fay a 
few words on the aranca diadema.—Digdemed fpider. 
—HoHeMEME IH 

i. 
ARANEA DIADEM4.——DIADEMED ~ 




SPIDER. 
Tuts infect grows very large. The upper part of © 
its belly is moft beautifully embellifhed with black — 
and white dots and circles; in the middle of them 
is a band, compofed of oblong fhaped fpots, of a pearl 
colour ; refembling, in their arrangement, the fillet , 
