Other editions of book The Life of the Spider

Excerpt from The Life of the Spider, the Life of the Fly, the Mason-Bess: Bramble-Bess and Others, the Hunting Wasps, the Life of the Caterpillar, the Life of the Grasshopper, the Sacred Beetle and Other, the Mason-WaspsE. Pomiformis is much more common and is comparatively indifferent to the nature Of the foundation on which she constructs her cell. She builds on walls, on isolated stones, on the inner wooden surface Of half-closed shutters; or else she adopts an aerial base, the slender twig of a shrub, the withered sprig of a plant Of some sort. Any form Of support serves her purpose. Nor does she trouble about Shelter. Less chilly than her African cousin, she does not shun the un protected spaces exposed to every wind that blows.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Note: This is not a "scan" copy but has been completely reset and illustrated with photographs. Written by the founding father of the science of modern entomology, this work remains one of the standard studies of the lifestyle, habits, mating ceremonies, and astonishing technical abilities of the spider family. Jean-Henri Fabre, famous for his detailed and painstaking methods of study which became the measure by which all present-day scientific fieldwork is conducted, produced a ten volume study of insects and arachnids known as the Souvenirs Entomologiques. This book consists of essays from that larger work, and deals specifically with his extensive observation and experimentation with a variety of spiders, from tarantulas to house spiders. The author was the first to document many hitherto unknown aspects of his arachnid subjects, including their manner of breeding, caring for their young, hunting, and web-spinning. His enduring popularity is due to his marvelous teaching ability and his manner of writing about the lives of insects in biographical form, which he preferred to a clinically detached, journalistic mode of recording. A highly readable text, delightfully devoid of the complicated language which so often blights natural science books, and simultaneously personal, with accounts of his children participating in some of his experiments. A superb overview of spiders which is guaranteed to hold the reader’s interest. By the last page, the reader will never be able to look at spiders in the same light again. Contents Preface: The Insect’s Homer by Maurice Maeterlinck Translator’s Note Chapter I: The Black-Bellied Tarantula Chapter II: The Banded Epeira Chapter III: The Narbonne Lycosa Chapter IV: The Narbonne Lycosa: the Burrow Chapter V: The Narbonne Lycosa: the Family Chapter VI: The Narbonne Lycosa: the Climbing-Instinct Chapter VII: The Spiders’ Exodus Chapter VIII: The Crab Spider Chapter IX: The Garden Spiders: Building the Web Chapter X: The Garden Spiders: My Neighbour Chapter XI: The Garden Spiders: the Lime-Snare Chapter XII: The Garden Spiders: the Telegraph-Wire Chapter XIII: The Garden Spiders: Pairing and Hunting Chapter XIV: The Garden Spiders: the Question of Property Chapter XV: The Labyrinth Spider Chapter XVI: The Clotho Spider Appendix: The Geometry of the Epeira’s Web Endnotes

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The Spider has a bad name: to most of us, she represents an odious, noxious animal, which every one hastens to crush under foot. Against this summary verdict the observer sets the beast's industry, its talent as a weaver, its wiliness in the chase, its tragic nuptials and other characteristics of great interest. Yes, the Spider is well worth studying, apart from any scientific reasons; but she is said to be poisonous and that is her crime and the primary cause of the repugnance wherewith she inspires us. Poisonous, I agree, if by that we understand that the animal is armed with two fangs which cause the immediate death of the little victims which it catches; but there is a wide difference between killing a Midge and harming a man. However immediate in its effects upon the insect entangled in the fatal web, the Spider's poison is not serious for us and causes less inconvenience than a Gnat-bite. That, at least, is what we can safely say as regards the great majority of the Spiders of our regions.