The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-11-22
Scorpions and Centipedes.

Frequently though the scorpion is
met with, yet sting from one is rare
An instance coming within my obserya-
ton was that of my chowkeedar, who
had been stung during the night while
veranda where the reptile had evidently
dropped down from above. | was
awoke by loud ''bapre-bap" and the
very familiar ''sapkatdyia" ("Father,
oh, father, a snake has bitten men')
and, on going to the spot with light,
we discovered the assailant to be, not
snake, but scorpion, which was stand
ing motionless in the corner, still
angrilv curving its tail--a discovery
which afforded unspeakable relief to
the chowkeedar, who had thought his
last hours were come, and who now
with folded hands and upturned eyes
devoutly acknowledged his escape in
the exclamation: "Dohai Ram Ji, Jan
buchgaia" ("Mercy, oh, Ram, my life
is sparedr'). He had pressed upon the
reptile, no doubt, while turning round,
and had been stung on the arm, which
rapidly swelled to great size, accom-
panied by pain so excessive as to cause
a feeling OF faintness. With his mind,
however, relieved from the worst" he
soon set about collecting herbs from
the compound and garden, under the
application of hot mashes of which the
pain gradually subsidized, and. along
with the swelling, disappeared in a
couple of days.
the scorpion, | placed one under a
glass case along with a grasshopper
two inches long. whose sharp-spiked
legs constituted its strong natural de-
Tense. For awhile the scorpion took
no notice of the wild leaps of his com
panion, though every now and again it
struck against him in rebounding from
the glass cover, but at length, irritated
by the continuance of these, it assumed
the offensive. After several unsuccess-
full clutches, he managed to seize with
his toes leg of the grasshopper, which
he held in his jaws, while endeavoring
to transtix him with his sting, till he
succeeded in driving it through and
through him. The leaps of the grass
hopper now speedily grew feebler, and
soon he lay motionless and dead. Fol
twenty-four hours the scorpion took no
further notice of his companion, and
then, pressed by hunger, he bethought
himself of him, and speedily devoured
him
Like the scorpion the centipede also
seems partial to grasshoppers, when it
can get them. An enormously magni-
fled copy as it is of the little home
centipede, the sight of one five or six
inches long, with its multitude of pre-
hensile feet all mo-ing at once, and its
long feelers steering its way, causes an
involuntary creeping of the flesh. Once
while reclining on a sofa perusing q
daily paper after midday breakfast,
| preparatory to turning in'' for the
customary siesta, was surprised by a
| humping against newspaper which
| was lying in corner of the room, and
the continuance of the sound induced
me to jump up to ascertain the cause,
suspectlng, of course, a snake and frog.
The raising of the paper disclosed 8
centipede of about five inches long
holding in its jaws large grasshopper,
which he was quietly following out
without the least regard to the frantic
kicks of his victim. which had occa
| stoned the noise against the paper
Nor did he seem disposed to relinquisf
so choice morsel, but allowed himsel
to be turned over and over without ever
relaxing his hold, and as the grass
hopper could not physically recoup hi
loss. let the deyourer continue, till il
quarter of an hour only the shell re
NAMED. and only then did the dimin
ishing kicks of the grasshopper ceas,
altogether.
On another occasion, in the hot montl
of May, during my morning ablu
tons, while raising the sponge to m!
face, | was met by the near view of al
ugly pair of horns, followed by head
emerging from one of the pores. No
an instant too soon, I dropped it dow
again on the basin stand, upon whicl
the full length of hideous centiped,
gradually unwound itself.
Such are instances of the way thes
reptiles are come upon now and agail
in India, generally when and wher
least expected, and showing tho wari
ness people require to practice in ever
movement, even in lifting book o
paper, or putting the hand anywher
where the eye does not also reach. Th
bite of the centipede is rarely heard OF
but it is more or less poisonous, and
like the sting of the scorpion, is consid
sidered serious to children. til
Year Round.