The celebrated Lewenhoek found by microscopic observation that the
threads of the minutest spiders, some of which are not larger than a
grain of sand, are so fine that it would take four millions of them to
make a thread as thick as a hair of his beard. In the early part of the
last century, M. Bon, of Languedoc, fabricated a pair of stockings and
a pair of gloves from the threads of spiders. They were nearly as
strong as silk, and of a beautiful gray color.
The animal ferocity of spiders makes it impossible to keep them
together. M. Bon distributed 4 or 5000 spiders into different cells,
putting in each cell about 200, and fed them with flies; but the large
ones soon devoured the small ones, and in a short time there were only
one or two large ones left in each cell.
To test the ingenuity of the spider, a gentleman frequently placed one
on a small upright stick, and surrounded the base with water. After
having reconnoitred, and discovered that the ordinary means of escape
were cut off, it ascended the stick, and, standing nearly on its head,
ejected its long web, which the wind soon carried to some contiguous
object: along this the sagacious insect effected its escape--not,
however, until it had ascertained, by several exertions of its own
strength, that its web was securely attached at the end.