Two mother tarantulas, each with her young on her back, came into contact, and a battle _à outrance_ took place. One was slain, but the double brood, scattered by the conflict, on its cessation climbed on to the back of the victor, and remained calmly in position while she proceeded to dine in leisurely fashion on the vanquished! In March, seven months after hatching, the young were ready to start life for themselves. Their first action was to climb to the highest points attainable, whence they set sail in the manner already described, and were borne gently away in the air. We can hardly leave the tarantula without saying something on the vexed question of spider venom. All over the world there are certain particular spiders whose bite is especially feared. Among them are the “Tarantula” and the “Malmignate” of southern Europe, the “Vancoho” of Madagascar, the “Katipo” of New Zealand, and the “Queue rouge” of the West Indies. Quite an extensive literature has arisen around the subject but its perusal leaves one not much wiser than one was before. Circumstantial accounts of deaths from the bite of a spider are countered by the assertions of experimenters that they have allowed themselves to be bitten repeatedly by the same species without suffering any inconvenience. There is at all events some basis for the popular view in the fact that all spiders possess a poison gland which is analogous to that of the snake inasmuch as it opens near the tip of the fang which is plunged into the animal attacked. In the case of the large, powerful spiders of the family Mygalidae, and perhaps in the tarantulas the effects of the bite on higher animals are not negligible, and clearly exceed the results of a mere puncture. A young sparrow and a mole bitten by Fabre’s tarantula in spots by no means vital died within a few hours. But it is a very remarkable fact that many of the most dreaded spiders are neither large nor powerful. The “Malmignate,” the “Vancoho,” the “Katipo,” and the “Queue rouge” are all members of the comparatively weak-jawed Theridiidae, and their only striking characteristic is vivid coloration, all being marked with red spots. It is probable that their deadly powers are almost entirely fabulous; and that they have been singled out as particularly dangerous merely because of their conspicuous appearance. The smaller species are certainly harmless as far as man is concerned, and it is even disputed whether their poison plays much part in the ordinary slaying of insects. The very inconsistent results of experiments may be due to some control exercised by the spider over the output of poison. There is no proof that its ejection is automatic, and it is quite possible that the spider is economical in its use. Or again, in some of the cases of innocuous biting, the supply of venom may have run short. CHAPTER X JUMPING SPIDERS