Roger Gervais, age 12, of Eastview, Ont., for his question:
What is the black widow spider?
The black widow spider has a very bad reputation, and some of it is justly deserved. However, the lady is not nearly so black as she is pointed. And, from her point of view, she has good reasons for all the unpopular things she does.
She is, of course, a poisonous spider and her bite can be fatal. But she bites only when provoked. The black widow does not prowl around hunting for people she can bite, for she is far too busy. She prefers to hide from us. But, if she is cornered, teased or threatened she will bite to defend herself ‑ for which we cannot blame her. So, if you ever get bitten by the black widow it will either be an accident or your own fault.
The proper way to treat such a bite is to cut it open, apply a tourniquet and get to the doctor at once. If you are healthy and the wound is properly treated it will not be fatal. About one bite in ten is fatal and this happens because of other complications.
We must all learn to recognize the black widow because of this possibly danger. She is about half an inch lone and dressed in shiny black velvet. Her tummy is round as a ball and on the underside is a scarlet brooch shaped like an hourglass. Sometimes, though not always, she wears a row of small red buttons down her back. Altogether she is a neat, handsome little spider.
We should also know where she is likely to be found. She may live almost anywhere in the United States, Canada and Central and South America. In most of these areas she is rare, her favorite haunts being the dry desert regions. Though she thrives in warm, dry climates she always finds a cool, dark place in which to build her web. Watch out for her under doorsteps, in cellars, and in old deserted buildings.
Her web is a raggle toggle affair of crisscross threads. She spins no delicate spiral like that of the orb spider. In the center of her silken web is a funnel in which she hides, waiting to pounce on any insect who gets trapped. Like all spiders, she devours quantities of our enemies. She eats the insects which eat our food. So she is useful and has her place in the scheme of nature.
There is one more fact about the black widow ‑ a fact which may shock and horrify us. The busy lady thinks that her husband should be a good provider and with this we all agree. But we do not agree with her ideas of how he should provide for her. Sad to say, the black lady is a cannibal. And, right after the marriage, she makes a meal of her poor little husband. He is smaller than she and, strange to say, does not seem to mind at all, for he does nothing to defend himself.
The black widow, then, is almost always a widow. We do not know whether she mourns her husband or regrets her cannibal nature. But, after all, she does wear black,