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readers, extrad from it briefly fome obfervations, which I have not made
myfelf, but which are there related as well worthy of attention.'
PAGE 8. " But what exceeds all belief, and what there is not the leaft
mention of, in the works either of the ancients or moderns, is, that
Spiders, when young or middle-aged (for I have never obferved it in fallgrown
young ones) have the faculty of mounting by the afliftance of their
thread, and, committing themfelves to a gentle gale, of rifing in the air
into the very clouds. Thus much is certain, that they have been carried
far out of my fight, even though I afcended the loftieft towers, on purpofe
to obferve this particular."
PAGE 9. " The thread, boiled in common water, does not liquefy; nor
does it melt in the fire, if expofed to it: it is not inflammable; but like
gum, retains its glutinous nature."
PAGE 13. " Goedart, the Dutch writer, fays « the Fly, of which we
here give a figure, is a violent enemy to Spiders, and purfues them with
a peculiar antipathy, and kills them; while other Flies fall the prey of
Spiders, being entangled in their web. I have obferved the above-mentioned
Flies, while the Spiders have been fitting in the middle of their
web, watching the arrival of Flies, to feize upon them, and give them a
fatal wound. When the Spiders perceive them, they endeavour to efcape
by fuddenly dropping down to the ground by their thread; the Flies
however purfue them, and break all the bones of their legs, one after the
other; and at length having obtained their vidory, walk round and
round them, as if in triumph. This I have thrice obferved, and after-
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wards faw it fly away with the dead Spider" Thus far Goedart. The
above obfervation relates to ^&Retiary Spider', but BELON, on Aldrovandus,
relates the fame thing of the Phalangium. " There is an animal of the
Wafp tribe, called an Ichneumon, which wages mortal war with the Phalangium;
and fince I have feen the battle, I will relate it. The infeft is
amongft the number of bloodlefs animals, and is called Sphex-, its form
is different from that of a Wafp, or Bee, but rather refembles a great
winged Ant. It is lefs than a Wafp, and makes its neft under ground, like
the Phalangium. It conquers the Phalangium, whenever it can find it out
of its hiding-place; but if it find it in its hiding-place, it often returns
without its prize. It happened that a Vefpa-ichneumon feized on a
Phalangium, juft crept out of its hole, and dragged it after it, as an
Ant does a grain of wheat; and drove it about at pleafure, yet not withconsiderable
difficulty; for the Phalangium catching hold of every
objeft which it could with its hooked feet, caufed a good deal of hinderance.
The Ichneumon, however, pierced him in feveral places with
his fting, which it puts out like a Bee. At lengthy wearied with the labour,
it flew off, nearly to a ftone's throw. Then again feeking out the Phalangium,
and not finding it juft in the place where it left it, purfued its fl:eps,
and feemed to fcent it out, as a dog does the track of a hare. When it
had found it, it ftruck it more than fifty times with its flings and again
dragging it along, carried it to its intended fpot, and there quite killed
it." Thus far BELONIUS, page 27, LISTER. " It feems probable to
me that Spiders ^xaxt a poifon with their bite; fince a Spider, which I provoked
for this purpofe, voided very fmall drops of clear lymph, ten times
or more in a fhort time ; and ftill repeated it, every time it attempted to
bite. I made however the experiment, for the fake of fafety, on a piece of
B