The Life of John Bunyan(约翰·班扬传).pdf

THE LIFE OF THE SPIDER
THE LIFE OF THE
SPIDER
By J. Henri Fabre
1
THE LIFE OF THE SPIDER
CHAPTER I: THE BLACK-
BELLIED TARANTULA
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.
Nevertheless, a few are to be feared; and foremost among these is the
Malmignatte, the terror of the Corsican peasantry. I have seen her settle
in the furrows, lay out her web and rush boldly at insects larger than
herself; I have admired her garb of black velvet speckled with carmine-red;
above all, I have heard most disquieting stories told about her. Around
io and Bonifacio, her bite is reputed very dangerous, sometimes
mortal. The countryman declares this for a fact and the doctor does not
always dare deny it. In the neighbourhood of Pujaud, not far from
Avignon, the harvesters speak with dread of Theridion lugubre, {1} first
observed by Leon Dufour in the Catalonian mountains; according to them,
her bite would lead to serious accidents. The Italians have bestowed a
bad reputation on the Tarantula, who pr