Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-03-19

pened to be within reach, and then
| determined to try another expert
ment, as to the suicidal tendencies
which | had heard ran in the veins Of
the pedipalpi family.
Gu the stone floor Of the kitchen
attached 30 my office [ arranged a
circle of burning sticks about three
yards Ia circumference, the sticks
being so placed that though there were
no means of exit through the fire, it
was not intense, but small and quite
bearabIe as regards heat within a few
inches, so that the central part of the
circle was perfectly cool. Into this
center accordingly dropped my
scorpion. who, On reaching terra
firma, darted off in great
hurry, only 10 be quickly
brought 70 a halt on reaching with
in q few inches of the peri
phery of the circle. After a short
pause Of reflection, he deviated to the
right, and ran once completely around
the circle as near to the fire sticks as
it was prudent to venture. This be-
did three times, often approaching
the burning sticks quite curiously IN
his anxious endeavors to escape. In
about quarter of an hour, finding
that his efforts were useless, he re
tired almost into the exact center of
the circle, and there in tragic man
ner, raised his tail till the sting Or
spur was close to his head, gave him
self two deliberate prods in the back
OF the neck, and thus miserably per-
iShed by his own hand. AS I placed
the body of the suicide IL bottle of
spirits, I almost regretted that [ lad
not let him escape before ho had re
sorted to such an extreme measure.
Ny last experience is even more
curious than the preceding, as it
shows a remarkable provision of na-
ture that is almost incredible. Ali
have ever read on the subject is con
tanned in the following words:
1.-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 noun
talns: 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 sud-
denly, just as [ was about to play a
stroke what [ thought was the CON
tents of my friends pipe fell On the
table close to the ball at which ] was
aiming. Instinctivelv I was on the
point of brushing it off with my hand,
when, to nay am&zement, saw it was
a moving mass, which on closer in
spection turned out to be q 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 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 tee astonish.
ing 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 removed.
She had clUng to her retreat in the
shingled roof until near the approach
Of death, when she had fallen and
given us this curous spectacle I 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 ex-
hausted the horrid offspring are
ready to shift for themselves.