The 
‘< of the latter are entirely feparated from their 
“<< bodies when thus fhot out, the threads of the 
** former remain fixed to their anus ; as the fun’s 
‘*‘ rays to its body.’ And in another place, 
‘« Spiders that are middle-aged, or of a mode- 
“ rate bignefs, truft themfelves to gentle winds 
“by means of a thread, and thus endeavour, 
‘* as it were, to afcend into the clouds, and 
‘* the upper regions of the atmofphere.” As 
to the firft of doctor Lifter’s affertions, I 
cannot at prefent take upon me either to 
countenance or contradict it; I only with he 
had explained himfelf more clearly ; for how 
is it poflible that the thread of a Spider, which 
is fo fine and flender, fhould be fhot out with 
force enough to divide and pafs through the 
air? Is it not rather probable that the air 
would ftop its progrefs, and fo entangle it, and 
fit it rather to perplex and obftruct the Spi- 
der’s operations? I know very well, that a 
man may drive out his urine to a confiderable 
diftance, in the form of a flender thread; but 
this urine is a liquid, which is not the cafe 
with the Spider’s thread; befides, it does not 
appear that the Spider carries all the matter of 
which it compofes its threads, in a fingle ca- 
vity, fo as to be able to throw it fo far, if it 
could do it, even in a folid form. Moreover, 
there feems requifite for this purpofe a great 
ftrength of mutcles, and a confiderable exertion 
of fuch ftrength; whereas that part of the Spi- 
der from which its thread iffues, does not 
appear to have any mufcles: thefe are conjec- 
tures only, which time will overthrow or con- 
firm. 
As to doctor Lifter’s laft affertion, there is 
no great difficulty in comprehending it. I have 
myfelf often obferved fmall Spiders fupported 
and driven about in the air, by means of a 
thread, in the fame manner with that little 
paper machine called a kite, with which chil- 
dren divert themfelves. If therefore doctor 
Lifter, in faying that Spiders when come to 
their full growth fhoot their thread, means 
only, that they let it fall loofe from their bo- 
dies, to be taken hold of by the wind, and 
lengthen it by a continual fending out of the 
matter that compofes it, there can be no objec- 
tion to his doctrine. For my part, nothing 
more as yet appears to me on this occafion, 
than that all Spider’s threads are drawn from 
the infect’s body, by its own weight or effort, 
without any compreffion while it defcends or 
moves forward, as the threads of the Silk- 
Worm are drawn, and by no means ejected, 
from the bags in which the matter forming 
themis lodged. Ican yet more eafily comprehend 
how, Spiders without giving themfelves any 
* Bonone mentions a large Spider in Sardinia, whofe bite proves mortal in a few hours. 
+ The generical charatters of the Acarus, are, that it has eight legs, and in each le 
According to this diftinétion, eftablifhed by Linnzus, and now adopted by all naturalift 
of the creatures infefting birds and beafts, and commonly called Lice and Fleas, 
{ The generical charaéters of the Loufe, according to the Linnean fyftem are thefe : 
not for leaping as in the Flea; the eyes are two, 
feveral lobes. 
§ Lewenhoeck, who put a male and female Loufe u 
found that the female lays from fifty to a hundred ege 
Hed se TO RY: 
nder a ftocking which he wore night and da 
eo IN PB sGaT Ss, 
motion, may, by only compretiing their anus, 
{pin out a thread, which being driven by the 
wind, may ferye to waft them from one place 
to another. 
The dart of the Tarantula is faid to occafion 
a peculiar frenzy *, which the fame authors fay 
is cured by mufick, but this feerns an impofi- 
tion. Avery curious gentleman lately arrived 
here from Italy, has affured me, that it is 
looked upon as a mere fable, even in the 
country where the creature is moft common ; 
and that none but the lower fort of people, 
beggars and vagabonds, pretend, on being hurt 
by thofe venomous creatures, to find any relief 
from mufick. They pretend this, that by im- 
pofing on the credulous, they may live with- 
out betaking themfelves to honeft labour. And 
thus we fee amongft ourfelves, the people called 
Gypfies, by fetting up for prophets, prey upon 
the ignorant and illiterate. 
To finifh what I have to fay in this place 
concerning Spiders: I am to obferve, that 
doctor Lifter very accurately divides them into 
what he calls fowlers, viz. fuch as take their 
game in nets, or by ftinging it, and into hunt- 
ers with eight eyes, which he diftinguithes 
from thofe with two eyes and long legs. Doc- 
tor Hooke has favoured us with very curious 
drawings of the beft kind, and I intend to pub- 
lifh diffections of them on fome fucceeding 
occafion ; that fo the hiftory of thefe infects 
may, by our joint labour, be brought to the 
perfection it deferves, and fupply us with new 
motives to love and reverence God, the author 
of all the miracles we obferve in them: this 
fhould be the fole end of all our endeavours and 
ftudies. 
I fhall next refer the Acarus + to the firft 
order of mutations, as it iffues from its ege, 
perfect in every thing but fize, which it after- 
wards acquires by degrees. 
In the fame order too I fhall place the com- 
mon Loufe {, which has a Nit for its ege; 
but as this iffues very fuddenly from its egg, 
or rather, as what we call the egg is in rea- 
lity the Loufe itfelf, which only waits to be 
freed from the fuperfluous moifture that fur- 
rounds it,.to efcape from its cover; it is an 
eafy matter to conceive, how this little infec 
can multiply fo faft, that people fay in fport, but 
it is no more than a jeft, that a Loufe may fee 
its fourth generation in the {pace of twenty- 
four hours §. Thefe Nits muft be laid in a 
place that is warm, and moderately moift, to 
produce any thing. This is the reafon that 
many Nits laid on the hairs in the night-time, 
are deftroyed by the cold of the fucceed- 
ing day, and fo ftick for feveral months, 
our 
Zain) 
g eight joints, and has only two’ eyes. 
s, the long-legged Spider, and many 
are truly Acari. 
it has fix legs, contrived for walking, 
and they are of a fimple ftru€ture ; and the body is divided by indentings into 
y to fayour their breeding, 
s; and computing the natural increafe from what he had feen, fays, that 
in eight weeks, one Loufe may fee five thoufand of its defcendants. 
H al 
