The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-03-21
THE SCORPION.
Habits of the Horrid Creatures as OBJ.
served by Naturalist.

Habits of the Horrid Creatures as OBJ.
served by Naturalist.
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 that genus of the AEachnida 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 a large black scorpion, who
promptly tried to beat precipitate re-
treat. Having read or heard somewhere
that if you blow on scorpion he will
not move. | tried the experiment and
was greatly astonished to find that it
had the desired effect The scorpion
stopped. instantly, flattened himself
close to the paper on which he had been
running, and had all the appearance of
holding on for dear life. While | con-
tinued to blow even quite lightly he re-
fused to move, though l pushed him
him with pencil and shook the paper
to which he chung so tenaciously. Di-
rectly | ceased blowing he advanced
cautiously, only to stop again at the
slightest breath was thus able to Sc
cure him in a glass tumbler which hap
pened to- be within reach, and then 1
determined to try another experiment
as to the suicidal tendencies which | had
heard ran in the veins of the Pedipalpi
family.
On the stone floor of the kitchen at
tached to my Office L arranged circle
OF burning sticks about three yards in
circumference, the sticks being so
placed that though there were no means
of exit through the fire, it was not in
tense, but small and quite bearable as
regards heat within few inches, so
that the central part of the circle was
perfectly cool. Into this center | ac-
cordingly dropped my scorpion, who,
on touching terr0 frDld, darted off in a
great hurry, only to be quickly brought
to halt on reaching within a few
inches of the periphery of the circle.
After short pause of reflection he de-
Waited to the right, and ran once COM
pletely round the circle as near to the
fire sticks as it was prudent to venture.
This he did three times, often approach
ing the burning sticks quite closely in
his anxious endeavors to escape In
about a quarter of an hour, finding that
his efforts were useless, he retired al
most to the exact 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 a
bottle of spirits, | almost regretted that
| had not let him escape before he had
resorted to such an extreme measure.
My last experience is even more curl
ouS than the preceding, as it shows a
remarkable provision of nature that is
almost incredible. All have ever read
on this point is contained in the follow
ing 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 q
small village in the Blue Mountains
there was no ceiling to the room, the
roof being covered, as is the universal
custom in Jamaica, with cedar wood
shingles. My opponent was smoking a
large pipe, and suddenly, just as | was
about to play stroke, what | thought
was the contents of my friends pipe
fell on 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,
saw it was a moving mass, which on
closer inspection turned out to be a very
large female specimen of a scorpion,
from which ran away in every direction
number of perfectly formed little
scorpions about quarter of an inch in
length. The mother scorpion lay dying
upon the billiard cloth, and soon ended
her feeble struggles, the whole of her
back 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, cleaning 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 life, and that
by the time her strength is exhausted
the horrid offspring are ready to shift
for themselves and Water.
a HERMIT IN a FROCK.