Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 September 1893 — THE SPIDER AND THE FLY. [ARTICLE]

THE SPIDER AND THE FLY.

How a Yellow Jacket Prevented a Walk Into the Parlor. The act of taking a fellow's part, or helping to defend him against an enemy, is not confined to man. Nearly all of the lower animals have this particular instinct, says a writer in the Philadelphia Times, but it is, I believe, an exceedingly rare occurrence to find a creature of one order “pitching in,” as the boys would say, and exerting his efforts in behalf of a creature of another order. It fell to my lot not long ago to witness an a«t of this kind. Outside a grocery store there stood a sugar barrel, emptied of its contents. There was one particular fly near the bottom of the outside of the barrel,*and right beside him stood a good-sized yellow jacket. All of a sudden a great, gray spider hurried out of his web and sped straight for the fly. In another moment the fly was in his grasp and a struggle began. The fly tried so hard to get away that he must have attracted the attention of the yellow jacket, for that worthy turned around and looked right at the contestants. Then as quick as a flash he flew into the fray himself, and the spider found that he had two enemies to deal with. The yellow jacket seemed very careful not to hurt the fly, but it was a “caution" the way he put it to the spider. At last the spider released his hold on the fly and directed all his efforts to subduing the yellow jacket Then the battle began in earnest. Time and again the spider sunk his fangs into the yellow jacket and time and again was he pierced through with his enemy’s terrible sword, the fly all this time buzzing over the heads of the two combatants. Finally the spider, unable to withstand the thrusts any longer, gave up the ghost and died. The yellow jacket stung him once more and then waddled off with a tom wing and a wounded leg, the fly following him.