Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-06-12
1saANrVLA AGAINST clNTlpeoE'
t,teresting Battles Between Ven
Some - and Ferocious Creatures.

sohie -. and Terocious Creatures.
,hernoon last week there was
OrV .,sted crowd of amusement
81 '" rs in and in front of the large side
SEX -. nj Knox & Van Haren's drug
VIM several days before two cent?
sl',e. ona large and the other small,
p'l' hrought into the store, and also
,,.srontula. They were left in sep
80 receptacles and all alive.
am r tbi, particular afternoon It was
Vr-,,;nad to see how the animals
d'' ,,iJ act when placed together. A
W. NJ sand, about an inch thick, was
ID, ,yer the bottom of glass
La and first the two centipedes were
5,nsJ in and then a horned toad.
g ~ L,,siasty with the horns took no
u +, tbe trouble which disturbed the
I.5er Two. He seemed to be acting
y.a,nlv as the referee of the fight. The
sInY csrtipedes crawled over him and
vi aver him, but hardly awakened
Ii, sleepy nature.
Mt - the others. They circled two
tbrse times around the globe and
Liz came in each others way. Each
I'.;rsd to crawl over the other and the
gstrle began. 1t was short but it was
oTriripe. No two pugilists ever went
oftsr each other with more vim or more
@,r,rent determination TO do each 9TH
o. harm than did these two centipedes.
Tbair catlike claws were repeatedly
:,,,hedded in each others bodies, but
M. smaller one could not stand the
strain and when they came together
f,r tbo third xme. about two minutes
.f,erthey were first put in, they clinched
aid wound about each other, keeping
,lGr claws going in scissor fashion
mann e2ch others bodies until the
smaller crutipedc dropped out dead.
The body was taken out of the globe,
and soon after the tarantula was
Jroppcd in The centipcde had not
MAJ time to recover any strength after
hi. battle with his fellow. and his
.,inr had lost its death-dealing quail
f.,. so that this battle was also short.
Tbe two animals closed only twice
,,brn the forceps of the tarantula
crashed through the head of the larger
cautipede, and he died quickly.
one of the company who had watched
the two battles. impressed with the
MA, the centipede fought in the first
batlle. yeuured the assertion that the
contippde was the better fighter. He
knew where one could be obtained aud
haven't after it; the crowd waited.
When he returned he brought a cent?
prdc nearly four and a half inches
iopr. 1t was Immediately dropped in
TO the globe and the tight, which was
then begun, lasted for fully three
quarter, of an hour. and was exceed
ing SAVAGE while it lasted. The tarau-
mh did most Of the fighting, but after
the first attack invariably got the worst
OF the round.
The tarautula fights with i pair of
pucers which are thrust out Just be-
low or from the lower part of the head.
These are very hard, and strong enough
70 leave marks upon lead pencil. The
ceutipedc tights with the double line
Of cat-Iae claws which are ranged in
rows along the side of the body. In
fighting the tarautula spreads himself
out and after backing away after the
manner of acraWtish until he can get ~
further springs upon the enemy. thrust
ing ont the pinccrS and grasping what
ever portion OF the body of the enemy
comes within reach.
In the battle in the globe the two
came together for a dozen or more
round, breaking away aud returning
to the opposite side of the globe at the
close OF each, Finally the two came
together and the centipede seemed to
-, tnn hold he had been looking for,
and the ,uatuIa's body was quickly
wrapped up in the fold of the armed
body oI ., opponent. Meanwhile the
hundred claws of the ccntipede were
working rapidly and with such effect
tha, the .itc Of the tarantula was soon
OVER Tue yictoriou, centipede did
notcowe ont unscathed, as the forccps
oitne tUautua had pierced his body
IN five places from which the black
lite huid was running. He survived
the battle only afew hours san Diego
LHgOn