Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-03-11
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Correspondence Boston Commercial Bulletin.
The scorpion is the next gentleman to
demand attention. He is very much
smaller than the tarantula, much livelier,
and not much handsomer. There are
a thousand scorpions, l suppose, to one
tarantula, and their bite is fully as bad. /
must confess to having had very vague
idea about the scorpion before becoming
acquainted with thetopios. think If Ihad
been driven to it, should avedescribed
him rs a creature with wings, black, and
somewhere above the size of humming
bird. This would have been about as in
accurate description as Gamble. imagined.
He has no wings he is not black, and he
Ia nowhere near the size of even half
grown hnmming bird. There is an inn
aginnry picture OF him mall the almannc8,
but it doesn't look very much like him
that sign of the zodiac.
A full grown scorpion is from two to
two and ahalf inches lons, and his color
is sort OF ashy gray. He has eight
legs, upon all of which minute hairs
grow. and his tail is much longer than
there lie any necessity for, considering the
size of his body. The tail is,
in fact, only continuation of
his body, and l have included
that in measuring his length. 1t is at
the end of his tail that he carries his
yenomous sting, and when he curls up
| his body into q semicircle, and brings
that lively end of his tail to bear upon an
enemy, the enemy cannot drop him too
soon. His body is nowhere as thick as a
lead pencil, but at the head it branches
out into claws, or horns, or additional
| legs, whichever you like to call them; SO
| that in shape he is somewhat like tack
| hammer. He is shaped very much like q
hammer headed shark, only hammer.
| headed sharks are not familiar enough in
northern waters to serve for an illustra
ton. He is creature of mold and slime
like the snail. Let an old box lie on the
| ground, particularly in moist place, til
the bottom boards begin TO decay, anC
your scorpion trap is ready.
When you want your game lift up thu
box and there is your scorpion. But b.
careful to take hold of the box near the
top, and not get your fingers in his way
For the scorpion is very rapid in his mo
tions, and he will give you sting befort
you know it, When he strikes you will
the end of his tail, like o wasp, he exude
yenomons liquid, and a man might bet
ter hold red hot iron in his hand thai
get the tenth part of drop of this liqui,
into his blood. II is not necessarily fatal
particularly in the Bahamas: but it con
denses the heat of forty furnaces.
In some parts of South America scoi
pion bites are frequently fatal, but hav
not heard of any one having been kille
by them in Nassau. This is easil
accounted for. The scorpion likes to fee
upon decaying wood. In South Americt
where dye woods and other poisonou
woods abound the scorpions feed upo
them, and thus work into themselves
, good supply Of outside poison, which
, taken together with his naturally poison
GUS liquid, does its work for whoever
: unfortunate enough to be stung. But
, Nassau such poisonous woods arefew, an
! the scorpions have to fatten themselv'
respectfully on pine, cedar and mahogan,
They never attack anybody unless di
turbed. But if a barefoot boy steps {
one, or if you pick up a stone or boal
: with one lying under it he will stir
yon il he can, and he will do it on vel
y short notice, too. | have seen decnyil
DO lrd picked up that had three or TO
Y scorpions lying under it. Nobody thin
:, of letting one escape in this part of 4
= world, if he can help it. The same fe'
ing that Sailors have about sha, ks, pcoI
in tropical countries have about mil the
yenomous insects. just as we always {
!. to kill snake in the north, southern
y always tries TO kill tarantula, u scorpic
, or centipede.