The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-02

An Insecs Which Kills Its Mother Before
Coming Into the World.
Letter in Land and Water

coming into the W ORD.
Letter in Land and Water.
A few years ago. while in the island of
Jamaica, it was my fortunate chance to have an
opportunity of observing some very curious
facts in connection with the genus of the arich-
nida class. commonly known as the scorpion. and
the curious traits of character in these insects.
Turning over some old papers in my Office, one
Day, suddenly came upon large black scor-
pion which promptly tried to beat a precipitate
retreat Having read, or heard some
where, that If you blow on a scorpion he
will not move, l tried the experiment and
was greatly astonished to find that it had the de-
sired effect. The scorpion stopped instantly,
hattened himself close to the paper OH which he
had been running, and had all the appearance of
holding on" for dear life. While continued to
blow even lightly he refused to move, though
pushed him with pencil and shook the paper to
which he chung SO tenaciously. Directly 1
stopped blowing he advanced cautiously, only to
stop again at the slightest breath. was thus
able to secure him in glass tumbler which hap
pened to be within reach, and then determined
to try another experiment. as to the suicidal ten
denotes which l had heard runs in the veins of
the pedipalpi f. mily.
On the stone floor of the kitchen attached to
my Office / arranged a circle of burning
sticks about three yards in circumference, the
sticks being so placed that, though there was
no means of exit through the fire, it was not in
tense, but small and quite bearable as regards
heat within a few inches, SO that the center part
of the circle was perfectly cool. Into this center
l accordingly dropped my scorpion, who, On
reaching terra frma, darted off in great hurry,
only to be quickly brought to halt on reaching
within few inches of the periphery of the cir
Gle. After short pause of reflection he devil
ated to the right and ran once completely
around the circle as near to the fire
sticks as it was prudent to venture.
This he did three times, often approaching
the burning sticks quite closely in his anxious
endeayors to escape. In about quarter of an
hour, finding that his efforts were useless, he
retired almost into the center of the circle
and there in tragic manner raised his tail
till the sting or spur was close to his head, gave
himself two deliberate prods in the back of the
neck, and thus miserably persisted by his own
hand. AS placed the body of the suicide in
bottle of spirits / almost regretted that l had
not let him escape before he had resorted to
such an extreme measure.
My last experience is even more curious than
the preceding, asst shows remarkable provision
of nature that is almost incredible. All / have
ever read on the subject is contained in the fol-
lowing words
The young scorpions are produced at various
intervals and are carried by the parent for
several days upon her back. during which time
she never leaves her retreat"
L was playing a game of billiards in a small
village in the Blue mountains: there cell
ing to the room, the roof being covered, as is
the universal custom in Jamaica, with cedar
wood shingles. My opponent was smoking
large pipe, anu suddenly, just as was ABOUT TO
make stroke, what thought was the contents
of my friends pipe fell the table, close to the
ball at which was aiming. Instinctively was
on the point of brushing it off with my hand,
when, to my amazement l saw it was a
moving mass, which, on closer inspec-
ton, turned out to be very large
female specimen of a scorpion, from which ran
away in every direction number of perfectly
formed little scorpions about a quarter of an
inch in length The mother scorpion lay dying
I, on1 al I-1 hn~
feeble struggles the whole of her back being
eaten out by her own offspring, of which, as they
could not escape over the raised edge Of the
billiard table, we killed the astonishing number
of thirty eight. They had not only been carried
by their parent but they had lived on her, clean
ing out her body from the shell of her back so
that she looked like an inverted cooked crab
from which the edible portions have been re-
moved. She had chung to her retreat in the
shingled roof until near the approach of death,
when she had fallen and given US this curious
spectacle. was told by the attendant that the
young scorpions always live thus at the expense
of their mothers lfe and that by tine time her
strength is exhausted the horrid offspring are
ready to shift for themselves