SPIDER-PILLS AND SPIDER-SILK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5552, 25 February 1886, Page 3

SPIDER-PILLS AND SPIDER-SILK.

Spiders were formerly considered in rural districts to be a cure for ague. Some years ago, a lady in Ireland was famous for her success in curing people thus affected. It appears that the only medicine she employed was a large spider rolled up in treacle. The patients were ignorant of the contents of this novel bolus, so that imagination had nothing to do with the matter. In England, also, the spider has been called in as ague doctor. In Lincolnshire the creature was treated much after the abovementioned Irish fashion, being rolled up in paste and swallowed ; but in other part* the animal is put into a bag and worn round the neck. Men of science have employed, not, indeed, spiders themselves, but their web 3, as a raluable medicine, especially in fevers and agues. The web is rolled up into pills, and given in doses of five grains each, every four hours. Attempts to manufacture spiders' silk have been made, with very poor results. Waistcoats, gloves, and stockings have, indeed, been formed from the silk, but the expense and difficulty seem to forbid the hope of prosecuting the manufacture as a business. The obstacles are three. The feeding a great collection of spiders is a puzzling operation. Then, if numbers be kept in one place, the ferocious creatures wage an incessant and destructive war one upon the other. Lastly, more than 27,000 spiders are required to produce one pound of silk, for twelve will only make as much as one silkworm. M. Bon, a Frenchman, and M. Tremezar, a Spaniard, spent years in trying to domesticate spiders tor manufacturing purposes. The former gentleman managed to keep for some time about 5000, placing 50 or 100 in separate compartments. Nearly all perished, chiefly from daily battles among themselves. M. Bon seems to have felt sure of his success, and sent some stockings and gloves to the Royal Society in 1710, with a full description of his • xperirnents. He seems to have obtained four ounce 3of silk from thirteen ounces of cocoons. Others made similar attempts. j M. Lebon, of Montpellier, sent a pjwe of glovea made from spider*' silk to liQius

XIV. 5 and M. d'Orbigny actually had a pair of drawers manufactured from the webs of American spiders.