

NATURAL HISTORY. 201 
ofan eaftern king: The ground of this fillet, when 
viewed inthe fun, through a glafs, is perhaps one of 
the richeft and moft {plendid fpectacles nature has to 
_ exhibit, in all her tribe of.infects. The eyes are eight 
_ in number, fparkling and placed on the crown of the 
head : The iegs are long, yellow, encircled with dark 
brown, and furnifhed with brifiles. 
— HoH MERE MG I> 
TARANTULA. 
"Tuts infect being of this genus, and much refemb- 
ling a houfe fpider, we fhall clofe our brief fyftem . 
| of infects, with a few words on this extraordinary an- 
| imal. ‘The bite of it, in hot countries, producing the 
| moft aftonifhing effects, naturally firft arrefts our at- 
tention. The quantity of the poifon emitted into the 
| wound, is too inconfiderable to render it immediately 
| perceptible; but, ds it ferments, it caufes, in about five 
or fix months, the moft frightful diforders. The per- 
| fon bit, at this time laughs and dances inceffantly, is 
| all agitation, and aflumes a moft extravagant fpecies 
| of gaiety ; Or elfe is affiitted with a moft difmal mel- 
| ancholy.. At the return of the period when the bite 
was given, the madnefs renews ; and the diftempered 
ae repeats his former inconfiftencies, by fancying 
imfelf a king, or a fhepherd, or fome other charac- 
ter, according as his fhipwrecked reafon is driven a- 
_ gainft the rocks of abfurdity. He has no regular 
train of thought ; all hia mind and feelings are but a 
chaos of wildnefs and extravagance. Sometimes thefe 
unhappy fymptoms will continue feveral years, un- 
til death relieves the fufferer. ‘Yhofe who have been 
in italy, where the natives are frequently afflicted: 
with this malady, tell us, the only cure is mufic, from 
| fuch an agreeable and fprightly inftrument as the vi- 
| olin, which is, therefore, one of the moft common 
