Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 January 1917 — SPIDERS ARE NOT VERY DANGEROUS [ARTICLE]

SPIDERS ARE NOT VERY DANGEROUS

The famous tarantula, reported to be one of the terrors of the nrid quirts of the Southwestern states and northern Mexico, and which bulks so large In the imagination and the fears of those persons who have friends on the border, is really not the tarantula of history and of fable. One of the numerous students of spiders—and . the tarantula is a spider—says of that terrifying insect that it is the Lycpsa tarantula, a kind of spider found in some of the warmer parts of Italy and Spain. When mil grown It is about the size of a chestnut and of a brown color. “Its bite was at one time supposed to be dangerous.” says this nutborlty. “and to cause-rkind-TtJir ‘dancing case,’ but it is now known not to be worse than the sting of a common wasp.” It is very likely that when the early Spanish explorers came upon the great spider of the Soutb< ” wWtr^n3^^Tnf _ aTgo6a^dearnbf - Tes^tJtann6 r ~Rr~ the tarantula of the old world— those explorers not having been scientific entomologists—they called the new spider a tarantula, and the naipe lias stuck. There is no doubt that the big spider of Arizona, New Mexico, California, old Mexico and many other places is a relative of the tarantula of Spain and Italy, and in eolor, disposition and in the matter'of His hairy legs a layman might easily mistake him for the tarantula. But perhaps there fa not much in a name so far as spiders go. ajml it is just as well to avoid if possible that particular spider which so. many Americans call the taran- , tula7 though.it is quite pertain that the meanness of his disposition has' been exaggerated.. . J. H. Emertpn. one of the spider experts of the world, writes, after years of intimate study of

spiders: “When undisturbed, spiders never bite anything except insects useful as their food, but when attacked or cornered all species open their jaws and bite if they can. depending on the size and strength of their jaws. The stories of. death, insanity and lameness from the bites of spiders are probably untrue.” The species of spider are hard to number. The spiders of North America have been studied by Hentz, Einerton, Keyserling and Thorell. and no doubt by a number of other men who have specialized in insects, and it is estimated that there are' 800 species in North America. The spider has heart. 11 ver. stomach, in testifies, thorax, lungs and several other interesting organs, as. for example, the spinning glands and spinnerets. It is recorded that a good many experiments have been made to throw light on the effect, of spider bites onA distinguished entomole—gist, named Bertkau. allowed various, kinds of spiders to bite his hand. Some of them drew blood, giving a sensation like that of a sharp needle prick. The wounds^smarted and swelled somewhat and itched when rubbed, product ngvery -much the sensation of mosquito bites, butJiO-per-tnanent ill effects followed. Another entomologist. named Blackwell, also allowed specimens of the big spiders to bite his hand. He reported that he felt no particular pain and little inflammation followed, and the wounds soon healed, another entomologist, named Doleschall. reported that he had shut up small birds with the Mygale, one of the biggest and fiercest of the spider tribe. The birds soon died after being bitten. He allowed one of his fingers to be bitten by a large jumping spider. The pain wps severe and his finger and then his 'hand and

arm became lame, but the soreness soon passed away. The Mygale is one the best-known of the large and heavy spiders. It is a native of tropical and subtropical America. It is said that ft catches and kills small birds with its poisonous bite and then sucks the blood of its victims. The body of this spider is pitch black and is covered with long reddish-brown halt. It has eight eyes placed close together In the front of its head. It is a close klnsinan td' the so-called bird spider of Surinam. The official name of that American spider called the tarantuln is Cferdza Callforniea. and It is one. of the trapdoor spiders. It is common in New Mexico. Arizona, and California. According to John Sterling Kingsley, this spider digs its hole in a fine soil which when dry is nearly as hard as brick. —These—spider “hotes-rrre sometimes nearly an inch in diameter and vary In depth from two and three inches to nearly a foot. The mouth of the hole is enlarged and then closed by a thick cover which fits it tightly. That cover fits into the mouth of the hole ’very much as a cork does in the neck of a bottle. The cover is made of dirt fastened together with threads and; like the hole, is lined with silk and is fastened by a thick hinge made- of spider’s silk. When the cover Is closed It looks exactly like the ground around it. ? This, like many other species of spider. Is nocturnal in its habits, raising its trapdoor nt night and sallying forth |n search of food, its chief food being insects. There is so much diversity of opinion as to the effect of the bite oA,these spiders that in living where they are a man should practice safety first and take, no chances with them.