The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1878-08-17
Scorpions, CentIpedes, TarantuIa.

There are two kinds of scorpions, the
green and the black; the latter is the
most venomous. When lived IN Trebi-
zond, says writer, they were SO numer-
ous that we kept canopy over the bed
to catch those which might fall from the
calling. 1t was carefully examined every
morning. / have shaken them out of
my boots. I repeatedly came within an
ace of stepping on one with, my bare
feet when getting out of bed. They
have an uncanny way Of hiding in
cracks and under large stones, and run
with spider-like speed when aroused,
holding their spiky tail in the air, in an
aggressive manner that is not reassur-
ing. It is claimed by some that no
swelling follows the sting, but only pain
and sometimes death. But I have seen
several cases Of scorpion poisoning at
tended with swelling; Nicola, my don
key-driver, had his leg swelled to twice
the size, attended with excruciating pain.
In Asia Minor the native make decoc-
tion of scorpions, and give it to their
children as an anidote and preventive.
I never heard it did any good. This, on
the theory of sSmaSIiG sSnsiIi6tts, might
be called homeopathic treatment if it
had not been employed before ever
Hahnemann was born.
The centipede or scalopendra is an
other insect about which I know moth
ing good that can be laid to its credit.
Possibly a use may be found for it, as
they use spiders webs for quinine in
fever and ague, and powdered cock
reaches for Bright's disease. It has not
cover thirty feet, SO that the name is
misnomer: but the feet terminate in a
sharp and scratchy point. The centipede
is copper colored, and its back is armed
with scales that make it quite hard. Its
sting is more often fatal than that of the
scorpion, and have never taken to it
kindly, since I had an adventure with
one in Smyrna. / was sitting at supper,
thinly clad in accordance with the GUS
tom of the country during the long
steady heat which endures from April to
October. Suddenly / noticed something
creeping over my instep, and in an IN
stant it was crawling up my leg, scratch
ing the skin slightly as it lelsurely pur
sued its way up toward my knee. Ap-
pretending the situation at once /
realized that to startle it would be the
height of folly. Keeping my leg per-
fectly still, therefore, carefully clasped
it above the knee with both hands to
prevent the reptile from getting over he
knee. When I was ready struck 1T
my foot with smart, rapid jerk, a. d
most happily shook off the creature, and
Immediately put my foot on it, crushing
a centipede nearly six inches long.
T Jo-xo IL - <,x,or, 1oc< an
the centipede. It is in truth a redoubt-
able foe, for aside from its hideous
appearance it is quite unnecessarily
aggressive, and clears several feet at a
Jump. I have seen snake -charmers in
the East tossing them from hand to
hand like hot'potato; Of course the
poison had been extracted. They vary
greatly in size, according to the eli
mate, but always retain the same general
characteristics. A gentleman in Nassau
told me that his sister went up to bed
one evening, and discovered an enor-
NOUS tarantula in the middle of her pill
low, just like a great ink-spot. Having
seen it afterward bottled, can testify
that it's legs had spread of six inches,
and its black hairy body was the size Of
pigeons egg. She screamed, that be-
ing the right thing to do under the cir
cumstances, which brought the family
to the room; as her brother entered the
tarantula made spring at him, which
resulted in the candle falling on the
floor and general rush of everyone.
pell-mell, for the door. The candle
having been re-lit, it then became i'm
portant to find out on whom the taran-
tula might be crawling After some
more fun of this sort, the creature was
finally driven into corner and impaled
on sharp spike and was then preserved
in alcohol. Who says alcohol has no
uses?