The record-union., 1893-04-01
ABOUT POISON BUGS.
Some of the Species That Dwell in
America.
Centlpeds and Singing Lizards-Expe-
riences with the Dreadful Great
ures-The TarantuIa.

the king Of the spider family. Down in
Arkansas and Texas he grows to be as
blg as saucer, if you measure his legs,
and his body proper is as large as wal
nut. The tarsntula is a turnover, but
can climb readily.
have most frequently found them
basking in the sunshine along the dusty
road, or in some open space. If one hap
pens to be in savage mood he will
make battle without even pausing to re-
hect on how big you are or how many
sticks or stones you have. He leaps
with great agility, and you have to be
quick to get him if he happens to be in
an active condition. Sometimes tarant-
uIas are torpid and will lie stupidity still
and be murdered.
was in physicians Office in Eureka
Springs, Ark, one day when one Bowen,
gunsmith, came dashing in, pale and
quite frantic.
quick, doctor, for Gods saker' he
cried. - have been bitten by tarant-
ula."
He showed some small but distinct
wounds on his foretinger, from which the
blood was dripping. The doctor cauter-
lZed the bitten place and tried to allay the
mans fears, administering for that pur-
pose liberal supply OF rich-lOoking
liquor. a half pint taken internally qui-
eted the smiths apprehensions, and he
was able to tell his story.
His shop was in the lott over a black
smiths shop. While he was at work a
tarantula leaped from the roof and fast
ened lis tangs in his finger, clinging there
I'll he could with difficulty shake it Oft.
His fright was natural. lie was native
and shared the general belief that the bite
OF the insect was fatal. But there was no
cause for great alarm. The finger did not
even swell, and the burning caused him
more pain than the bite Perhaps the
promptness and vigor of the relief-the
cauterlzatlon was severe, the brandy
strong for his cure, but the in
cldent led me TO doubt the existence of
the deadly venom which the tarantula is
believed TO possess.
This repulslve spider obtained its name
from Iarantum, or Taranto, a town IN
southern Italy, where the larantulas were
very plentiful during the middle ages.
It's bite had remarkable effect which
Is worth mentioning, and was the cause
OF prevalent disease known as tarant-
ism.
The bite of the spider threw the suf-
fCrer into a depressed state of melan-
choly, accompanied by various nervous
disorders. The condition was accom-
panied by an increased Sensibility to the
power of music. The excitement of the
nervous system amounted in some cases
almost TO insanity"
The body became livid and icy cold,
The patient lost sight and hearing, and
usually became insensible. The only
means of arousing the sufferer from the
lethargy into which he sank was music
Under the influence of this he awoke. as
1t were, and commenced moving rhyth-
mica!ly, and continued increasing the
rapldlty OF the motion until he fell ex-
hausted TO the ground. By this means il
was considered that the poison of the
tarantula was distributed through the
system and worked ont through the skin.
If the music ceased while the patient was
dancing he at once sank back into the
state of lethargy from which he had been
aroused. But when thoroughly exhausted
be generally awoke relieved and cured
at least for time. This dancing mania
became contagiOus-one person caught
II trom another, quite Independent of the
bite Of the tarantula-and in this wav
whole districts became affected. One of
the most peculiar characteristics was the
attraction that bright pieces of metal or
brilliant pieces of color exercised over
the imagination OF the dancers. This
was particularly marked in the later his
tory of the disease"
Each sufferer became fascinated by
some particular hue, the sight of which
would throw him into raptures. The
victims were also noticed for their in
tense longing tor water. They would
often throw themselves INTO the sea and
seemed unable to live away from water,
often carrying globes of the fluid with
them when dancing"
This strange hysteria was prevalent in
Italy for three centuries, and seems to
have been as common as the grip in our
own time.
The centiped is venomous and
frighttul fellow. He has more legs than
anybody but the most hopeless Scientist
would dare to count, and each leg is A
nOXlOuS stlnger. Besides these multifari-
Gus weapons he has deadly tangs in his
mouth and poisoned dagger in his tail
lie Is one OF whom Horatlo might have
spoken, being armed from top to toe.
my lord" for in addition to this offensive
armature he is incased in a hard, many
Jointed plate of mail. He is one of the
creeping things of the earth, and Laws
low," being most usually found under
stones or beneath the loose bark of de-
cayed logs.
The centiped is not aggressive like the
tarantuIa. If you come in contact with
him he tights instinctively, but he does
not carry chip on his shoulder. and is of
modest, retiring disposition. He rarely
wounds anybody, but is more dreaded
than the rattleSnake. The current con-
viction in Arkansas is that if he simply
crawls over your body the flesh will drop
Off beneath his touch, and the poison from
his fangs or the sting from his envenomed
dagger will bring about the most ex-
cruciating agony.
tried hard for number of years to
ind a test case. There were many and dire
rumors, but the most authentic account
follows: / know woman-a truthful
woman-aud she knew another woman.
The latter lived in Franklin County,
Ark, ana had lost leg during the war.
y centiped, il seems had craWled over
the linn 10. and the wOunaniS life NH-aS
saved by prompt amputation. 1t may be
possible that the limb was sacrificed to
the tanily's fears, but l wouldn't ad-
wise you to make any personal expert
ments in the interest of science if you
happen 10 come in the wav of a confined
Our subject" as the writers OF county
histories say, grows to be six or eight
inches long, and his habitat is ALWAYS
south of the historic "secesh" line.
have seen scores of them, and the fear
their presence eNcites is not lesSened by
familiarity. | believe the centiDed is the
worst animal of his size IN the world. l
would sooner take my chances with Cleo
patra's asp, or the ella monster, any time,
than to be bitten and stung and stabbed
by a full grown centiped
Another wicked wee beaStie'' is the
singing lizard. He is true scorpion.
and goes about with his tail in the air in
the funniest way. l read somewhere that
the scorpion would sting himself to death
when surrounded by IRE. When | was
q boy | found one in the woods and at
tempted to roast him, but set the woods
on fire and came near burning up a
''string'' OF fence. l do not know whether
the scorpion stung himself to death or
was simply cremated. l know that re-
ceived such singing rebGke tor my
carelessnesS that for days afterward when
ever sat down l had 10 sit on my knees.
George Weymouth in Chicago Inter