From Oliver Low
Towcester Northants
You refer to the brown recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa, found in
basements and woodpiles in the US
(In Brief, 14 June, p 13). Kindly warn readers
that this friendly arachnid also inhabits the wildernesses of Northamptonshire,
otherwise known as my house, and that I can personally vouch for its aggression
and painful bite.
Even now, a deceased specimen lies in a jar on my window ledge amidst a green
“slime city”. I sucked my finger and spat after being bitten. The tiny wound
healed without further ado.
