T o the READER.
xt would be one of the beft fervices their fludies
“ could do mankind, and not a little redound to
N the glory of the all wife creator of them.3’
I a M proud to own that this fentiment of this
great man has, in conformity to his wifh, led
me to the compiling of this treatife on that one
particular animal the Spider.
But as the world, in intricacies of nature are
commonly dubious of the fads related, Iaflure
the reader, that the accounts I have here given
have been from my own ocular obfervation,
having made it my particular care to be extraordinary
exad in the colledions and obferva-
tions I have made concerning this Infed.
O n this ufeful wifh of Mr. Addifon, I have
raifed this building, and fhall account myfelf
very happy, if, among the feveral kinds and
fpecies of this infed, I fhall here deliver any
Thing fo new and ufeful, as fhall be worthy the
notice
To the READER.
notice of the curious, and will be an encouragement
to me to proceed, perhaps, farther in other
produdions of nature, no lefs curious than is this
o f the Spider. The particular advantages, which
an acquaintance with the wonderful produdions
of nature bring to us, are to inflrud our under-
flanding, and gratify our commendable curiofity *
both which ends I have endeavoured to anfwer
in this treatife, in refped of all thofe curious
priers into nature, whofe defire leads them to
be informed concerning the Spider.
Each particular fpecies of this little infed (of
which 1 have with great pains and labour col.
leded near zoo ) is here reprefented, and ( for
fuch as defire i t ) beautified in its proper colours,
that the reader may have his curiofity fatisfied at
one view, by what has taken me up a great deal
of time and labour, to put fo exadly together
A nd fince general enquiries into the works
and produdions of nature have been a fludy fo
agreeable