Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-27
ON "sTINGING LIZARDS"

-
GAZETTE you speak of scorpions and sting
ing lizards as if the two names refer to the
same thing, when, in fact, the name applies
to animals entirely different; or, at least,
if such is not the case my observations and
painful experience with nature and some
of her ugly children DER the red hills,
through the sand banks and by the streams
of East Texas go to naught.
Scorpions are found in dead wood, in the
shucks of corn, and such places, and are
never forgotten by those they sting, their
tail curled over the back like that of a pig,
their comparatively large-sized body on the
taper to the end of the curled tail. The
true singing lizard is like an ordinary
lizard, only smaller; and instead of the
rusty black of the ordinary inoffensive
lizard tits slick, and of glistening black,
with white and green stripes running per-
pendicularly. Tail short and blunt, in the
end of which is located a sting that inflicts
wound even more painful than that of the
scorpion. Its haunts are in the marshy
places, and in my childhood days l, along
with the rest of the little negroes on my
fathers plantation, feared these little liz
ards next to snakes. They are sometimes
known as 1.-THE spring lizard,'' for the rea-
son that they are often found near springs.
Now, please excuse me for daring to give
you information, and to prove that you
have forgiven me just tell me through THR
celery. Also when and how to begin
bleaching the cro". For all Of which 1 will
be much obliged
LADY AMATEUR FARMER.
Sulphur Springs, Tex
Our correspondent belongs to one of the
learned scientific professions and therefore
we are little surprised that she did not
look at the scientific name of the little ami
NAL mentioned by US (and which we gave);
that would at once have settled it with a
scientist as to what manner Of creature we
were holding under consideration-doubt-
less she accidentally overlooked the scien-
titic name.
There are in North America but two
scorpions, as reported by scientists up to
this time. One of these is very common in
the rocky regions Of Central and Western
Texas, where it is quite universally known
to the people by the common name of
''stinging lizard" OF course it is no liz
ard, but that's what they are calling it. If
you speak to them Of a scorpion they will,
in very many instances, refer you to a
rather large lizard with red head, that
they call by that mama. The scientific
name of this scorpion is:.Scorpio borenus, a
name given it by Girard. 1t has a very
long and very slender tail which it makes
a practice of carrying rolled up on its back
when out of business hours. In the end of
the tail is sting which it well knows how
to use when imposed upon. Average
length of body, about one inch. Color,
dirty, greenish yellow.
This is evidently the scorpion mentioned
by our well-informed correspondent. The
other species is of about the same size and
much the same in general appearance, the
greatest variations lying in somewhat
darker color marked with white and green,
and a very much shorter tail, which latter it
does not, after the manner of the other spe-
cies, carry ''curled up over its back like
that Of Pig Its scientific name is But
trus carolinianus (by Beavois), and for
common names the books sometimes refer
to one species as the ''long-tail Scorpion"
and to the other as the 'tshort-tail scor-
pion.''
The long-tail scorpion seems to take
mainly to high, dry and more or less rocky
lands, though it can pretty well adapt it
self to other situations, even to the extent
of coming into town, putting up at second
class clearinghouse, going to bed in the
regular way, and making the other fellow
OF the bed, who is paying the bill, get out
in hurry and give vent to many emphatic
expressions, when he happens to crowd it
beyond the limit of its liking. The short
tail scorpion is more creature of low and
camp situations along streams and about
springs, and hence one seldom meets with
i. on the highlands.
We have never yet seen the short-tail
scorpion in Texas, though we have often
found it in both South and North Carolina
1t is probably here, especially about the
pine regions Of the Eastern portions of the
state, where such conditions as favor it
exist about the same as in the Car0linaS.
OF course the people who call the long-tail
scorpion ''stinging lixard' would call the
short-tsil scorpion ''stinging lizard" also,
were they to meet it face to face. And the
name would be An incorrect enc in either
case, for the scorpion is not a lizard at all.
The lizards are saurians, and hence have
no relationship whatever to the scorpions.
Speaking Of lizards leads us to think Of
stating that4scieuce has not IS yet, an
aouDced any sauxiaa armed With atins.