1. The most laborious of all insects, if compared with the rest, are
the tribes of ants and bees, with the hornets, wasps, and their other
congeners. Some of the spiders are more neat, graceful, and skilful
than others in their mode of life. Every one may see the diligence of
the ant; for it is on the surface, and that they always travel in one
direction, and make a store and treasure-house of food, for they work
even in the night when there is a full moon.
2. There are many kinds of spiders and phalangia. Of the phalangia that
bite there are two sorts. The one resembles those called wolves. It is
small, variegated, sharp, and active in jumping. It is called psylla.
The other is larger. Its colour is black, and its fore-legs are long.
Its movements are slow, and it can scarcely walk. It is not strong,
nor capable of jumping. The other kinds, which the dealers in medicine
offer for sale, either do not bite at all, or very slightly.
3. There is another kind of those called wolves. One is small, and
makes no web, and the larger sort makes a coarse inferior web upon the
ground or in hedges. It always makes its web over chinks in the soil,
and with the origin of the web in the interior it keeps guard until
something falls into the web and moves it, when it comes out. The
variegated kind makes a small inferior web among trees.
4. There is another third kind, which is very skilful and graceful.
It commences the process of weaving by extending its web to the
extremities on all sides, and then it draws a thread from the centre,
and takes up the centre correctly. Upon these threads it weaves, as it
were, the woof, and then weaves them altogether. Its sleeping place and
store-room are situated at a distance. In seeking its prey it watches
in the middle of its web. When anything falls into the web and the
centre is moved, the spider surrounds and encloses it in a web, until
it is rendered powerless, and then takes it up and carries it to her
store. If hungry, she sucks it, for this is their method of enjoyment;
and if not hungry, hastens back for the pursuit of more prey, and in
the first place mends her broken web.
5. If anything in the meanwhile has fallen into the web, she first goes
to the centre, and from that point, as before, falls upon her victim.
If anyone destroys the web, she begins spinning again at the rising or
setting of the sun, for it is at this time that her prey usually falls
into the web. The female both makes the web and pursues the prey. The
male only enjoys it with her.
6. There are two kinds of graceful spiders that spin a thick web, one
large and one small. The one with long legs keeps watch suspended
above its web, that the creatures which fall into the web may not be
frightened when taken, and then it falls upon them from above, for its
size prevents it from being easily concealed. But the smaller kind
conceals itself in a small superior chamber of the web.
7. Spiders have the power of emitting their web as soon as they are
born, not from within their bodies, as if it were an excrement, as
Democritus says, but from the surface of their body, like the bark of
a tree, or like the ejected spines of some animals, as the porcupine.
They will attack and surround with their web animals larger than
themselves; for they will attack small lizards, and beginning at the
mouth, will emit the web until their mouth is covered, and then will
approach and bite them. This is the nature of these animals.