Passage 6.26.7
μέγεθος μέν ἐστιν αὐτοῦ διπλάσιον ἢ κανθάρων ὁ μέγιστος, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα εἴκασται τοῖς ἀράχναις, οἳ ὑπὸ τοῖς δένδρεσιν ὑφαίνουσι, καὶ δὴ καὶ πόδας ἀριθμὸν ὀκτὼ κατὰ ταὐτὰ ἔχει τοῖς ἀράχναις. ταῦτα τὰ ζῷα τρέφουσιν οἱ Σῆρες οἴκους κατασκευασάμενοι χειμῶνός τε καὶ θέρους ὥρᾳ ἐπιτηδείους· τὸ δὲ ἔργον τῶν ζῴων κλῶσμα εὑρίσκεται λεπτὸν τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτῶν περιειλιγμένον.
Its size is about twice that of the largest beetle, but in other respects it resembles those spiders that weave their webs beneath trees, and indeed it has, in the same way as spiders, eight legs. These creatures the Seres rear and keep in dwellings prepared suitably for them in both the winter and summer seasons. The product of these creatures is found to be a fine thread wrapped around their feet.