THE SPIDER.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 489, 7 August 1912, Page 7

THE SPIDER.

Of all the solitary insects I have ever seen, says a writer in the "Scotsman," the spider is the most sagacious, and its actions, to one who has attentively considered them, aecm almost to excel belief. The spider is formed by nature for a state of war not only on other insects, but on its fellows. For this state nature seems perfectly well tc have formed it with singular perfection. Its head and breast are covered with a strong natural coat of mail, which is impenetrable to the attempts of every, other insect ; and its lower parts are enveloped in a soft, pliant skin which eludes the sting even of a wasp. Its legs are terminated by strong claws, not unlike those of a lobster, and their vast length, like spears,, serves to keep every assailant at a safe distance. Not worse"~furnished for observation than for attack and defence, it has several eyes, large and transparent, covered with a horny substance which, however, does not impede its vision.

I once perceived a large spider in one corner of my room making its web. In three days the web was. with incredible diligence, completed. It frequently traversed the web round and round, examining the strength of every part of it. Tht first enemy, however, it had to encounter was another and much lar ger spider, which, having no web of its own, and having probably exhausted all its stfjck of thread in former labours of this; kind", attempted to invade the property of. its more favoured neighbour. Soon then s terrible encounter ensued, in whici the aggressor seemed to have the game in his hands ; and my laborious spider was obliged to take refuge in his cave. On this, I observed th< victor using every art to draw the enemy from his stronghold. He seemed to run away from the- con fiict, but he quickly returned ; and. when he found all arts vain, began tc demolish the new web in mosl merciless fashion. This brought or another fierce campaignand, contrary to my expectations, by spidei became conqueror, and fairly walked through his antagonist. Now, then in peaceable possession of what' was justly its own, it worked three days with the utmost patience, repairing the breaches of its web and takin; no sustance so far as I_„ could ob serve. At last, however, a larg< bluebottle fell into the snare anc struggled hard to obtain its freedom The spider gave it leave to entangh itself as much as possible but i> seemed to be too strong for the op position. I must own I was greatli surprised when I saw the spider sallj out, and in less than a'minutei weavt a new net round its wings, by whici they were motionless ; and when il was fairly hampered in this mannei it was seized and dragged into thi hole. In this manner the spide lived in a precarious state ; but na turc; seemed to have fitted it for sucl a life, for on a single fly it subsistei for more than a week.

I once put a wasp into the nest but when the spider came out, in or dcr to seize it ,as usual, on perceiv itag what kind of an enemy it had t( deal with, it instantly broke all the bands that held it fast, and con tributed all that lay in its power t' iisengage so formidable an antagonist. When the wasp was at liberty I expected that the spider would se about repairing the breaches tha were made in its net, but they wer irreparable ; whereupon the cobwel was entirely forsaken, and a new om begun, which was completed in th isual time, three days.