Professional Documents
Culture Documents
(Download PDF) After Elias 1St Edition Eddy Boudel Tan Ebook Online Full Chapter
(Download PDF) After Elias 1St Edition Eddy Boudel Tan Ebook Online Full Chapter
https://ebookmeta.com/product/after-elias-1st-edition-eddy-
boudel-tan/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/hope-mountain-hero-spring-s-
mountain-men-1st-edition-patricia-d-eddy-eddy-patricia-d/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/american-gunner-1st-edition-eddy-
clark/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/practical-cardiovascular-
medicine-2nd-edition-elias-b-hanna/
John Hick's Pluralist Philosophy of World Religions 1st
Edition Paul Rhodes Eddy
https://ebookmeta.com/product/john-hicks-pluralist-philosophy-of-
world-religions-1st-edition-paul-rhodes-eddy/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/biker-s-surprise-baby-1st-edition-
elias-taylor-jacob-allen/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/crossed-products-of-operator-
algebras-1st-edition-elias-g-katsoulis/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/advanced-financial-accounting-4th-
edition-pearl-tan/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/the-house-of-doors-1st-edition-tan-
twan-eng/
After Elias
After Elias
a novel
All characters in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or
dead, is purely coincidental.
Publisher: Scott Fraser | Acquiring editor: Rachel Spence | Editor: Allison Hirst
Cover designer: Sophie Paas-Lang
Cover image: unsplash.com/Coral Ouellette
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario
Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial
support of the Government of Ontario, through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax
Credit and Ontario Creates, and the Government of Canada.
Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this
book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to
rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.
The publisher is not responsible for websites or their content unless they are
owned by the publisher.
VISIT US AT
dundurn.com
@dundurnpress
dundurnpress
dundurnpress
Dundurn
3 Church Street, Suite 500
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5E 1M2
To Thomas,
for proving to me that love is real and courageous and ours
Contents
I was nine years old when I discovered that I wasn’t afraid of death.
The heat of the sun on my bare shoulders and the chill of the
wet concrete under my feet was a troubling combination for me that
day.
The other children, all wild eyes and unpredictable limbs, howled
like apes around a watering hole. They bared their teeth as they
chased each other. They banded together to lay claim to their
territories. I was careful to stay out of the path of the other boys,
my eyes averted from theirs and my fists clenched by my side.
It was a relief to pull my head beneath the surface of the water.
The noise from above became a muffled hum. The sting of the sun
softened. I felt the grip on my mind loosen as I submerged myself in
stillness.
My senses awoke as another body collided into mine. My feet
stretched down toward the bottom, expecting to feel the
reassurance of its tiles. There was only empty space.
My hands reached up and grabbed fistfuls of water. I managed to
reach the surface for a gasp of air before I was pulled underneath
again by an invisible hand. Every kick of my legs and stroke of my
arms reeled me farther down. I held my breath for as long as I
could, then let it all out in a swarm of bubbles. My limbs went still as
I closed my eyes.
I didn’t feel fear. I felt a deep and wonderful calm. I wonder what
happens now, I remember thinking.
My breath returned in violent coughs and purged chlorine as I lay
on the wet concrete of the pool’s edge. There was a look of wonder
in the eyes that stared down at me, as though I had risen from the
dead. The first thought that came to me was I must have been
Aztec.
Come to think of it now, I’d always been a different kind of boy.
You see, the Aztecs didn’t fear death. They believed it was
glorious. Death perpetuated creation. Without it, there would be no
life. Their bones were the seeds from which new life grew. Their
blood watered the dry earth. Both humans and gods sacrificed their
lives so this wheel of conclusion and creation would spin on and on.
After the final breath, Aztecs travelled to one of three places.
Those with honourable endings, like warriors dying in battle, would
transform into hummingbirds to follow the sun. Those who met their
end by water would find themselves in a paradise of eternal spring.
The majority would not be so lucky. Their journey would take them
to the underworld of Mictlan, a hellish place guarded by jaguars in a
river of blood.
Reading about this as a boy, it seemed unfair to me how the
most terrible human beings could so easily escape an eternity of
bloody jaguars. Had things ended differently that summer day at the
pool, I would have found myself in paradise by simply drifting too far
into the deep end. However flawed it may be, it’s a beguiling idea.
Your life is irrelevant. Your death is what counts.
•••••
•••••
Vivian Lo was born into a distinguished family from Hong Kong. Her
father owned some kind of business related to international trade.
The “importing and exporting of capitalist greed” is how Vivi often
put it. They immigrated to Vancouver in the 1990s, right before
Hong Kong’s future was handed over to China. I didn’t understand
what her father did for work, but I did know that he was rarely seen
wearing anything but an impeccably tailored suit.
I met Vivi in high school when she was a peculiar girl who
seemed to have no interest in people. We hit it off because I was
equally awkward and we were both obsessed with photography at
the time. We would spend hours in the dark room together, talking
about the books we were reading while developing our negatives.
Sometimes people would make jokes about the obscene things they
imagined us doing in there until someone would remind them I was
obviously queer.
At our high school reunion three years ago, everyone did a poor
job of hiding their resentment for us and how we turned out. We
circulated through the room with such ease, such confidence. We
had evolved into everything we weren’t as teenagers: attractive,
charming, successful, while everyone else became so dull and
suburban.
Now, Vivi looks tired and pale. I can tell she’s been crying even
through the grainy resolution of the video-chat window on my
tablet’s screen.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she says for the fifth time. “It’s
a nightmare. This only happens in really shitty movies.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “This would be a really shitty movie.”
“Come home,” she pleads. “Get your skinny ass on a plane and
come home right now.”
“I’ve already told you I can’t do that.” I look at her as she looks
at me. Her eyes are conspicuously free of eyeliner, and I remember
how I’m the only person who gets the privilege of seeing her without
it. “Even thinking about home makes me nauseous. I need to be
here for a while.”
“In Mexico? On a deserted island, all by yourself? You don’t need
to be there. You need to be here with me, with Decker, with
everyone who loves you. We’ve been worried sick.”
“This island is far from deserted. You don’t have to worry about
me. Besides, I’m going to see all of you soon.” There’s silence as I
pause for a long inhale. “I have an idea.”
She shoots me a strange look, her eyes locked on mine.
“I was thinking,” I say more tentatively than I intend. “The
wedding was supposed to be in a week, right? We’ve already paid
for everything, and we’re not getting the money back. The hotel is
booked, as is the catering, the band, the staff … Guests are
supposed to start arriving in five days, and none of you will be able
to refund your flights and rooms. Everything is set. Plus, I’m already
here.”
“No,” she interrupts, shaking her head. “No, no, no, no, Coen. I
don’t like where this is going.”
“I want everyone to come here as planned,” I forge ahead,
“except it won’t be a wedding. It will be for Elias — a celebration of
his life. Everyone who should be there is already confirmed to attend
the wedding. And he’s originally from Mexico. Imagine how beautiful
that would be. It’s perfect.”
“It’s not perfect, Coen. None of this is perfect. This is all the
furthest fucking thing from perfect!” Vivi looks angry and almost ill.
Her expression softens. She chooses her words carefully, alerting my
defences. That’s unlike her.
“Babe,” she says gently. “I’m sorry. I’m just concerned. You have
received some devastating news.” Her slender fingers run through
her hair, an angular helmet as black as carbon that ends just above
her shoulders. She glances to the side before leaning forward. “You
need to come home. You shouldn’t be alone. Forget about the
money. That’s not important. What’s important is for you to be here,
with us, so we can figure this out together.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say in a tone I hope sounds
immovable. “I’m not cancelling the wedding. You are all going to
come to this beautiful island in five days, and we are going to
celebrate Elias’s life together. That’s what he would want.”
“Is it? Is that what he would want? They haven’t even found him
yet, Coen!” I can almost see Vivi’s softness evaporate like steam.
“He might still be alive for all we know. Elias would want you to be
here with the rest of us, not alone on an island.”
“I am not going anywhere,” I say again, believing myself this
time. “You can stay at home, or you can meet me here. That’s your
decision. If everyone thinks I’m crazy and nobody shows up, that’s
fine. But this celebration is happening, even if it’s just me and my
wedding planner and the jazz band.”
“Fine,” she says in surrender. “Then I’m heading to the airport. I’ll
be on the next flight out.”
Her bloodshot eyes follow mine, and I can’t remember the last
time I saw her like this. She is usually so poised. Her face appears
simultaneously younger and older than usual, something vulnerable
and resigned settled within the lines of her skin.
I smile. “As much as I would love for you to be here with me
right now, it’s going to burn a hole through your wallet to change
your flight at such short notice. Besides, I know you have that gig
tomorrow. I’m not letting you cancel it on my account.”
“Coen …” she says, trailing off.
“I will see you in five days. You’ll be here before you know it.
Until then, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me, please. I’m a big boy.”
I flash her the most masculine, grown-up expression I can
muster, and I’m relieved to see her laugh.
“Take care of yourself, okay?” she says. “If you need anything,
call me. It doesn’t matter what time, day or night.”
“I promise.”
She strains a smile, her lips pulled tightly at the sides, but her
eyes look like they’re studying me, searching for something.
IONA BEACH
Two days before the crash
“I wish you could stay.” I gave him a rueful look, as though I could
change his mind with the power of my eyes.
It had been a warm afternoon in Vancouver, but the warmth
seemed to vanish with the light. Now that the moonlight flickered
along the waves that lapped at our feet, we shivered back into our
jackets. Mexico felt so far away.
“I wish I could stay too,” Elias said, his eyes lingering on the wool
blanket we sat on as his hand traced circles in the sand. It seemed
like he meant it, though I could never really tell with him. “But
there’s nothing I can do about it now. Just another few flights. Then
it will be over.”
“It feels wrong to be flying down to our wedding alone.”
“You won’t be alone for long.”
“Maybe I should just wait for you to return from Germany.” I
winced, hearing how my voice brightened with hope. “We could fly
down together.”
He ran his palm along the surface of the sand, smoothing over
the circles he’d drawn, and shifted closer to me. The calmness on his
face was undisturbed, no trace of the impatience I had braced
myself for.
“You said yourself that you want to be there early to make sure
everything is set. You can help Maria with the preparations; enjoy
some peace and quiet before the circus arrives. You could even work
on tanning that milky body of yours.”
He flashed me a mischievous grin before I wrestled him to the
ground, playfully jabbing him in the ribs. He laughed as he
counterattacked, pinning me to the beach with ease. We were more
or less the same size, but there was never a contest when it came to
strength. My legs started to ache, but I didn’t care.
We stayed like that for a while, hearts beating and breath
panting, covered in sand with the blanket twisted around us. The
bottles of beer we’d brought were now scattered along the beach. I
looked up at his silhouette, the moonlit sky behind him, and he
kissed me gently. I noticed something different in his eyes, an
unfamiliar expression. Then it was gone, and he collapsed on his
back beside me.
“I’ll get a tan as long as you get your hair cut before the
wedding,” I said. His heavy black mane was almost silver in the light,
spilling from the edges of his forehead.
“Have I ever broken a promise?”
“I’m serious. Cut your hair.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, his voice tinged with that patronizing tone
he liked to use. “I’ll be more handsome than I’ve ever been in my
life. The women will faint at the sight of me. Some of the men will
too. You will be blinded by my beauty.”
“Don’t disappoint me,” I said, my lips curled up slightly at the
sides.
A deep laugh rang quietly from his throat. “I wouldn’t dare. I’m
more concerned about this hotel of yours. Good luck to them, living
up to your expectations.”
“It’ll be perfect.”
“Nothing is ever perfect, dear.”
The sound of the waves was closer as I turned to him. “The
hotel, the event, you — it will all be perfect.”
A soft smile broke through his uneven lips, but he didn’t respond.
He simply looked at me, like he often did, as I stared into the
shining orbs in his dark eyes, waiting.
With an inhale, Elias turned his head to face the night. “What’s it
called again?”
“The Ōmeyōcān Hotel,” I answered. His lips moved, silently
repeating the name to himself. “There are thirteen heavens in Aztec
mythology. Ōmeyōcān is the highest one. They’re setting some
pretty high expectations themselves with a name like that.”
“I wonder what the Aztec gods think about a fancy resort
branding itself as heaven.”
“This place is flawless,” I said. “I accept the risk of angering the
gods.”
I knew I’d be married at the Ōmeyōcān Hotel the moment I
spotted it in a travel magazine last year. Surrounded by elaborate
gardens, it resembles a Spanish conquistador’s palace standing
watch over an immaculate stretch of sand on the northern coast of
Isla de Espejos, a remote island in the Gulf of Mexico. The curious
combination of colonialism and indigenous mythology didn’t strike
me as troubling at the time.
The arches and columns that line the grand halls of the hotel
surround a vast courtyard. One side opens to the beach and ocean
beyond through an arched gateway framed by a cascade of
bougainvillea. The opposite end of the courtyard sits beneath two
sweeping baroque staircases that curve toward each other as they
climb upward, meeting at a terrace that overlooks the shamelessly
dramatic setting.
What had really caught my eye were the trees. The glossy pages
of the magazine revealed large magnolia trees arranged evenly
throughout the open-air space. Their sprawling branches were
covered in flowers shaped like teacups, creating a canopy of pale
pink and creamy white. Maria confessed it was an impractical choice
considering they bloom for only a handful of weeks each year, but
that was part of the allure. Beauty is more beautiful when it’s
fleeting.
“If I were a god, I’d know better than to mess with Coen
Caraway on his perfect day.” He nudged my ribs with his elbow, his
lips pulled into a teasing smile.
“It doesn’t seem real, does it?” I asked, trying to spot the stars
hidden behind the haze from the city lights. “Marriage, in just a few
days from now.”
He chuckled. “I still wonder how we got here. I never imagined
myself being married, especially so young.”
“Thirty-three isn’t that young,” I said, returning his teasing smile.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “This never used to be part of the
plan though, to be domesticated like a dog. I guess life happens
quickly and people change. Now we’re just like everyone else.
Normal.”
“That is so romantic,” I replied with Elias-style sarcasm.
“You used to agree!”
“Sure, but I’ve never compared married people to dogs. Although
Decker and Samantha do resemble a pair of well-groomed golden
retrievers most of the time.” We laughed at the visual. “So loyal and
codependent and stupidly content.”
“That will never be us,” he said with conviction.
“No,” I agreed. “But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.”
“To be trained like a dog?” He looked at me with an incredulous
grin.
“To be stupidly content. Perhaps people would be better off
enjoying the good things and ignoring the rest.”
“Sure,” he said. “That’s fine for you. I’m from Mexico. I’m not
wired to think that way.”
“It has nothing to do with where you come from.”
“Of course it does,” he said before I could go on, his tone more
serious. “You’re telling me that a girl from the slums has the same
chance at happiness as someone like you? To be happy and oblivious
is a privilege available to a very exclusive set of people.”
I knew it was a path to avoid. I wasn’t going to win this debate.
“I’m just trying to comment on the human race as a whole.”
“There is no human race,” he responded darkly. “The two people
I described — the girl from the slums and you — might as well be
different species.”
“Does that make the two of us different species then?”
“Perhaps.”
I took a deep breath. “Even so, look at us. We’ve managed to
build a life together. In a few days, we’ll be married. Why do it if not
for a chance at happiness?”
“Because it’s practical, and because we can.” He turned his face
away from mine and looked up at the darkness. “The concept of
happiness is ambiguous. It has no meaning.”
“That’s the point. It’s different for everyone. It gives people
something to define for themselves, something to strive for. What’s
the point of living if not to be happy?”
He responded without hesitation. “To be free.”
I suppose I knew this would be his answer, but it wasn’t the
answer I cared to hear. There were more questions I wanted to ask
him then. They flashed through my mind but didn’t make it out of
my mouth.
I wondered how the mood had shifted so suddenly, as I often
did. Elias was a prairie sky, switching from sunshine to storm clouds
without warning. When the clouds arrived, there wasn’t much to be
done but wait for them to dissipate.
“I guess if we’re going to succumb to the shackles of domestic
life, at least we’ll be doing it in style,” I said as I felt my body stiffen.
He sensed the displeasure in my tone. “Come here,” he said,
placing his arm around my neck. “The only reason I want to be
married is because I want you.”
I relaxed into him. “I want you too.”
“And you’re right. We are going to do this in style. It will be
unforgettable.”
Elias always knew the right things to say, though he wouldn’t
always say them. His words were deliberate. They had intention.
Even so, I loved him more when he told me what I wanted to hear.
“How does it feel to return to Mexico after all these years?” I
asked, trying to sound nonchalant as I held my breath for his
answer.
There was a pause. “I feel nothing,” he said.
“What does that mean?”
“I feel nothing about it. It’s been thirteen years since I left. I
have no desire to go back, but there’s no use avoiding it forever.”
It had come as a surprise when Elias agreed to choosing Isla de
Espejos for the wedding. I had been nervous about suggesting it. I
gathered as much courage as I could before making my pitch,
preparing myself for an argument. He just shrugged and complied.
No objections. Nothing. It was so easy.
“You’re not even the least bit excited? Nostalgic?” I asked,
unconvinced.
He had heard these questions before, so I expected him to get
annoyed. He answered coolly. “No. Not at all.”
Another heavy pause followed. He was stretched out on his back,
staring at the sky with his head close to mine. I decided to be bold.
“And your family? You’re sure you don’t want them there? We
could still fit them in. The invitation would be a nice peace offering.
It could bring some closure.”
“I don’t want them to be there,” he said, his voice calm and
decisive. “They’re not my family anymore.”
I offered him a sympathetic smile, but his eyes remained focused
upward. I could feel him grow distant, as though he were being
reeled into the sky.
A familiar roar broke the silence, and I remembered why we
were there in the first place, why this had become one of our
favourite spots over the years. I looked across the river at the
twinkling lights of the airport as a jet took off toward us, its wheels
drifting off the pavement with forceful grace. It sliced through the
night sky, navigation lights blinking, before veering south to Los
Angeles or Bogotá or beyond. We were both sitting up then,
watching the plane arc high above the city as it disappeared into the
darkness. I glanced at Elias through the corner of my eye. He was
smiling.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Stridulating Organs.—When
Arthropod animals are capable of
producing a sound, the result is
nearly always obtained by
“stridulation,” that is, by the
friction of two rough surfaces
against each other. The surfaces
which are modified for this
purpose form what is called a
“stridulating organ.” Such organs
have been found in three very Fig. 182.—A, Spinnerets of
distinct Spider families, the Amaurobius similis ♀ . Much enlarged.
Theridiidae, the Sicariidae, and a, Anus; cr, cribellum; i.s, inferior
the Aviculariidae. Hitherto they spinneret; m.s, median spinneret; s.s,
have only been observed in three superior spinneret. B, Part of the 4th
leg of the same Spider, showing the
positions—either between the calamistrum (ca) on the metatarsus.
thorax and abdomen, or between
the chelicerae and the pedipalpi,
or between the pedipalpi and the first legs.
In the Sicariidae and the Aviculariidae, the sounds have been
distinctly heard and described. Those produced by the Theridiidae
would appear to be inaudible to human ears.
Westring[260] was the first to discover (1843) a stridulating organ in
the small Theridiid spider Asagena phalerata. The abdomen, where
the pedicle enters it, gives off a chitinous collar, which projects over
the cephalothorax, and has the inner surface of the dorsal part finely
toothed. When the abdomen is raised and depressed, these teeth
scrape against a number of fine striae on the back of the posterior
part of the cephalothorax. A similar organ has been since found in
various allied spiders, of which the commonest English species is
Steatoda bipunctata. In this group it is generally possessed by the
male alone, being merely rudimentary, if present at all, in the female.
In 1880 Campbell[261] observed that in some of the Theridiid
Spiders of the genus Lephthyphantes, the outer surface of the
chelicera and the inner surface of the femur of the pedipalp were
finely striated at the point, where they were rubbed together when
the palps were agitated, but though the appropriate motion was
frequently given, he could hear no sound.
Meanwhile the noise produced
by a large Theraphosid spider in
Assam (Chilobrachys stridulans)
had attracted attention, and its
stridulating apparatus was
described in 1875 by Wood-
Mason.[262] The sound resembled
that obtained by “drawing the
back of a knife along the edge of a
strong comb.”
Subsequently certain Sicariid
Fig. 183.—Stridulating apparatus of spiders of a genus confined to the
Steatoda bipunctata, ♂ . Much southern hemisphere were heard
enlarged. A, Ridged and toothed to produce a sound like the
abdominal socket; B, striated area on
the cephalothorax; C, profile of the buzzing of a bee by the agitation
Spider, × 5. of their palps, and both sexes
were found to possess a very
perfect stridulating organ,
consisting of a row of short teeth
on the femur of the pedipalp, and
a striated area on the paturon of
the chelicera.
Pocock has recently discovered
that all the large kinds of
Theraphosidae in the countries
between India and New Zealand
are, like Chilobrachys, provided
with a stridulating organ. In these
spiders also it is between the palp
and the chelicera, and consists of
a row of teeth or spines
constituting a “pecten,” and a Fig. 184.—Chilobrachys stridulans in
series of vibratile spines or “lyra,” stridulating attitude. After Wood-
but whereas in Chilobrachys and Mason. Natural size.
its near relations the lyra is on the
palp and the pecten on the paturon, in other spiders the positions are
reversed. The lyra is a very remarkable organ, consisting of club-
shaped, often feathery bristles or spines, which lie parallel to the
surface to which they are attached, and which is slightly excavated
for their reception.
Lastly, many African Theraphosids possess a similar organ, not
between the palp and the chelicera, but between the palp and the
first leg.
Various suggestions have been hazarded as to the use of these
organs, but they partake largely of the nature of conjecture,
especially in connexion with the doubt as to the possession of a true
auditory organ by the Araneae. They may be summarised as follows.
The Theridiid spiders are among those which show most indication
of auditory powers, and the stridulating organs, being practically
confined to the male, may have a sexual significance. Chilobrachys
stridulates when attacked, assuming at the same time a “terrifying
attitude,” and its stridulating organ may serve the purpose attributed
to the rattle of the rattlesnake, and warn its enemies that it is best let
alone. If this be the case, there is no need that it should itself hear the
sound, and, indeed, there is no evidence that the Aviculariidae
possess the power of hearing. In the inoffensive stridulating Sicariid
spiders the sounds could hardly serve this purpose, and the presence
of the organ in both sexes, and in immature examples, precludes the
idea that its function is to utter a sexual call. Instead of trying to
escape when disturbed, the spider starts stridulating, and Pocock
suggests that the similarity of the sound produced to the buzzing of a
bee may be calculated to induce its enemies to leave it in peace.
Internal Anatomy.
There are no capillaries, but the blood is delivered into the tissues
and finds its way, by irregular spaces or “lacunae,” into certain main
venous channels or “sinuses.” There are three such in the
cephalothorax, one median and the others lateral, considerably
dilated in front, in the region of the eyes, and connected by
transverse passages. By these the blood is brought back through the
pedicle to the lung-books. In the abdomen also there are three main
sinuses, two parallel to one another near the lower surface, and one
beneath the pericardium. These likewise bring the blood to the lung-
books, whence it is conducted finally by pulmonary veins (Fig. 186)
back to the pericardial chamber, and thus, by the ostia, to the heart.
The Spider’s blood is colourless, and the majority of the corpuscles
are “amoeboid,” or capable of changing their shape.
Generative System.—The internal generative organs present no
great complexity, consisting, in the male, of a pair of testes lying
beneath the liver, and connected by convoluted tubes, the “vasa
deferentia,” with a simple aperture under the abdomen, between the
anterior stigmata.
The ovaries are hollow sacs with short oviducts which presently
dilate to form chambers called “spermathecae,” which open to the
exterior by distinct ducts, thus forming a double orifice, fortified by
an external structure already alluded to as the “epigyne.” The eggs
project from the outer surface of the ovary like beads, connected with
the gland by narrow stalks, and it was not at first clear how they
found their way into the interior cavity, but it has been ascertained
that, when ripe, they pass through these stalks, the empty capsules
never presenting any external rupture.
The palpal organs have already been described. The spermatozoa,
when received by them, are not perfectly elaborated, but are
contained in little globular packets known as “spermatophores.”
Nervous System.—The Spider’s central nervous system is
entirely concentrated in the cephalothorax, near its floor, and
presents the appearance of a single mass, penetrated by the
oesophagus. It may, however, be divided into a pre-oesophageal
portion or brain, and a post-oesophageal or thoracic portion.
The brain supplies nerves to the eyes and chelicerae, while from
the thoracic mass nerves proceed to the other appendages, and
through the pedicle to the abdomen. The walls of the oesophagus are
closely invested on all sides by the nerve-sheath or neurilemma.
Sense-Organs.—Spiders possess the senses of sight, smell, and
touch. Whether or not they have a true auditory sense is still a matter
of doubt. Since sounds are conveyed by vibrations of the air, it is
never very easy to determine whether responses to sounds produced
near the animal experimented upon are proofs of the existence of an
auditory organ, or whether they are only perceived through the
ordinary channels of touch. In any case, the organs of hearing and of
smell have not yet been located in the Spider. M‘Cook considers
various hairs scattered over the body of the spider to be olfactory, but
from Gaskell’s researches upon allied Arachnid groups it would seem
that the true smelling organ is to be sought for in the rostrum.
Eyes.—Spiders possess from two to eight simple eyes, the external
appearance and arrangement of which have already been briefly
explained. They are sessile and immovable, though often so placed as
to command a view in several directions. In structure they are
essentially like the ocelli of Insects. Externally there is a lens,
succeeded by a mass of transparent cells, behind which is a layer of
pigment. Then come the rods and cones of the retina, to which the
optic nerve is distributed. A comparison of this with the arrangement
in the Vertebrate eye will show a reversal of the positions of the
retina and the pigment-layer. The lens is part of the outside covering
of the animal, and is cast at the time of moulting, when the spider is
temporarily blind. It is stated, however, that the eyes do not all moult
simultaneously. There is often a considerable difference between the
various eyes of the same spider, especially with regard to the
convexity of the lens and the number of rods and cones.
Though most spiders possess eight eyes, the number is sometimes
smaller, and in some groups of eight-eyed spiders two of the eyes are
sometimes so reduced and degenerate as to be practically
rudimentary. As might be expected, Cave-spiders (e.g. Anthrobia
mammouthia) may be entirely sightless.
Touch.—The sense of touch would appear to be extremely well
developed in some spiders, and there is reason for believing that the
Orb-weavers, at all events, depend far more upon it than upon that of
sight.
Among the hairs which are distributed over the spider’s body and
limbs, several different forms may be distinguished, and some of
them are undoubtedly very delicate sense-organs of probably tactile
function.
Spinning Glands.—Spiders vary greatly in their spinning
powers. Some only use their silk for spinning a cocoon to protect
their eggs, while others employ it to make snares and retreats, to
bind up their prey, and to anchor themselves to spots to which they
may wish to return, and whence they “drag at each remove a
lengthening chain.”
All these functions are performed by the silk-glands of the Orb-
weavers, and hence it is with them that the organs have attained
their greatest perfection. We may conveniently take the case of the
common large Garden-spider, Epeira diademata. The glands occupy
the entire floor of the abdomen. They have been very thoroughly
investigated by Apstein,[266] and may be divided into five kinds.
On either side of the abdomen
there are two large “ampullaceal”
glands debouching on “spigots,”
one on the anterior, and one on
the middle spinneret; there are
three large “aggregate” glands
which all terminate on spigots on
the posterior spinneret; and three
“tubuliform” glands, two of which
have their orifices on the
posterior, and one on the middle
spinneret. Thus, in the entire
abdomen there are sixteen large
glands, terminating in the large
fusulae known as spigots. In
addition to this there are about
200 “piriform” glands whose
openings are on the short conical
fusulae of the posterior and
anterior spinnerets, and about Fig. 187.—Spinning glands. A,
400 “aciniform” glands which Aciniform; B, tubuliform; C, piriform
debouch, by cylindrical fusulae, gland.
on the middle and posterior
spinnerets. Thus there are, in all,
about 600 glands with their separate fusulae in the case of Epeira
diademata.
The great number of orifices from which silk may be emitted has
given rise to the widespread belief that, fine as the Spider’s line is, it
is woven of hundreds of strands. This is an entire misconception, as
we shall have occasion to show when we deal with the various
spinning operations.
A few families are, as has already been stated, characterised by the
possession of an extra spinning organ, the cribellum, and the orifices
on this sieve-like plate lead to a large number of small glands, the
“cribellum glands.”
Respiratory Organs.—Spiders possess two kinds of breathing
organs, very different in form, though essentially much alike. They
are called respectively “lung-books” and “tracheae.” The
Theraphosae (and Hypochilus) have four lung-books, while all other
spiders, except Nops, have two. Tracheae appear to be present
almost universally, but they have not been found in the Pholcidae.
The pulmonary stigmata lead into chambers which extend
forwards, and which are practically filled with horizontal shelves, so
to speak, attached at the front and sides, but having their posterior
edges free. These shelves are the leaves of the lung-book. Each leaf is
hollow, and its cavity is continuous, anteriorly and laterally, with the
blood-sinus into which the blood from the various parts of the
Spider’s body is poured.
The minute structure of the leaf is curious. Its under surface is
covered with smooth chitin, but from its upper surface rise vast
numbers of minute chitinous points whose summits are connected to
form a kind of trellis-work. The roof and floor of the flattened
chamber within are connected at intervals by columns. The
pulmonary chamber usually contains from fifteen to twenty of these
leaves, and the two chambers are always connected internally
between the stigmata.
The tracheae are either two or four (Dysderidae, Oonopidae,
Filistatidae) in number, and their stigmata may be separate or fused
in the middle line. Each consists of a large trunk, projecting
forwards, and giving off tufts of small tubes which lose themselves
among the organs of the abdomen, but do not ramify. In the tracheae
of Argyroneta[267] a lateral tuft is given off immediately after leaving
the stigma, and another tuft proceeds from the anterior end.
Histologically the main trunk of the trachea is precisely like the
general chamber of the pulmonary sac, and differs greatly from the
trachea of an insect.
Cephalothoracic Glands.—In addition to the generative glands
and the so-called “liver” which occupy so large a portion of the
abdomen, there are, in Spiders, certain glandular organs situated in
the cephalothorax which call for some notice. These are the coxal
glands and the poison-glands.
The COXAL GLANDS are two elongated brownish-yellow bodies,
situated beneath the lateral diverticula of the stomach, and between
it and the endosternite. They present four slight protuberances which
project a short distance into the coxae of the legs. The glands appear
to be ductless, but their function is thought to be excretory. They
were first observed in the Theraphosae.
All Spiders possess a pair of POISON-GLANDS, connected by a narrow
duct with a small opening near the extremity of the fang of the
chelicerae. The glands are sac-like bodies, usually situated in the
cephalothorax, but sometimes partially (Clubiona) or even entirely
(Mygale) in the patura, or basal joints of the chelicerae. Each sac has
a thin outer layer of spirally-arranged muscular and connective
tissue fibres, and a deep inner epithelial layer of glandular cells. The
cavity of the gland acts as a reservoir for the fluid it secretes. The
virulence of the poison secreted by these glands has been the subject
of much discussion, and the most diverse opinions have been held
with regard to it. The matter is again referred to on p. 360.
CHAPTER XIV
ARACHNIDA EMBOLOBRANCHIATA
(CONTINUED)—ARANEAE (CONTINUED)
HABITS—ECDYSIS—TREATMENT OF YOUNG—MIGRATION—
WEBS—NESTS—EGG-COCOONS—POISON—FERTILITY—
ENEMIES—PROTECTIVE COLORATION—MIMICRY—SENSES
—INTELLIGENCE—MATING HABITS—FOSSIL SPIDERS