Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 October 1881 — Beats a Fish Story. [ARTICLE]

Beats a Fish Story.

Lebanon (Ky.) Standard. A very curious and interesting spectacle was to be seen Monday afternoon in the office ot Mr. P. C. Clever’s livery stable in this city. Against the wall of the room stands a tolerably tall desk, aud under this a small spider, not larger than a common pea, had constructed au extensive web reaching down to the floor. * About 11:30o’clock Monday forenoon it was observed that the spider had ensnared a young mouso by passing filaments of her web around its tail. When first teen the mouse had Its hind feet ou the floor, and could barely touch the floor with its lore feet. The spider was lull of business, running up and down the line, occasionally biting the mouse’stail, making it struggle desperately. Its efforts to escape were unavailing, as the slender filaments about its tail were too strong for it to break. In b short time it was seen that the, spider was slowly hoisting its victim into the air. By 2 o’clock in the afternoon tte mouse could hardly touch the floor with its fore feetpby dark the point of its nose was an inch above the floor. At 9 o'clock at night the motive was still alive, but made no sign except when the spider descended and bit its tail. At this time it was an inch aud a half from the floor. Yesterday morning the mouse was dead, and hung three inches from the floor. The news pf the novel sight soon became circulated, aud hundreds of people visited the stable to witness it. The mouse is A small one, probably less than half grown, measuring about one and a half inches from the point of its nose to the root of its tail. How the spider succeeded in ensnaring it Is not known. The mechanical ingenuity of the spider, which enables her to raise a body which must weigh forty or fifty times as much as herself, has been the subject of a great deal of comment and speculation, and no satisfactory solution of the difficulty has been found. AU agree that it is a most remarkable case, and one that would be received with utter incredulity if it were not so amply attested.