The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-03-20
HABITS OF SCORPIONS
Alleged Ferocity Questioned by q Careful


Alleged keroCtfy Questioned by q Carctuh
Observes.
OF all the carnivorous and venomouA
creatures scorpions have perhaps the
worst reputation. Among the vice.
which they are accused OF are general
ferocity, csnnibalism. infanticide and
suicide. But they have found a de-
fender in a gentleman who kept sev-
eral of them for months aS pets and
observed them carefully. AS 10 their
ferocitv, he writes: II never saw them
use their destructive weapons exceps
in procuring food and as n means Of I
defense when attacked. Naturally
they do not like to bc handled. but I
when one lets them run over the hand
they do not try to sting; they hurry
away, seeming TO want to get on a.
more congenial surface than the human
Skin.
lit has been said that in captivity
they become cannibals and kill and eat
each other. i saw them live together.
cheerfuliy. and apparently understand
ing each other very well Only once
did / see large one eating lit;ls
one, and then. think. the little ono
other animals, they can be excited TO.
combat by artificial means, but nsver
saw such battles have any serious con-
sequences The participants seemed to
prefer to stop without shading blood.
There has been much discussion az
% whether scorpions couluadt suscids
by plunging their stings into their own
bodies. when they are driven 20 despair
By beiRe surrounded by a ring Of fire,
or by being otherwise tortured by that
dreaded clement Certain experiments
have shown that the SCORPIONS venom
has no effect or himself nor upon n
scorpion Of closely similar species
and also that scorpions are quickly
killed by even q moderate heat
when they are distressed by heat or
chlorosorm fumes they wave their tails
in the air. aud thrust out the sting ass
IL % strike some invisible enemy
Clearly the explanation Of SONS Of tho
apparent suicides is that the animals
died OF heat, though their distressed
waving Of the tail and sting might
have given the impression that they
had stung themselves.
My own experiments point 70 this
conclusion put a scorpion In n glass
tube. and held him near a Gre; he gave
signs Of great distress. beat this air
with his tail for several seconds and
then became unconscious ~ this
moment the glass tube was only slight
" warm 20 the hand The animal re-
vivcd Ia the fresh air twice repeated
the experiment: the third time hs
died lie had not once tried 20 sting
himself
However, IL has been positively
stated By Observers that scorpions have
stung themselves, IL one case IL was
said that blood spurtsd from thu
wound II Is possible that chance
blow directed toward an invinihls
enemy might strike the scorpion him
self Certainly j. il easy 10 imagine
that his mental fscultie. might b. Dr.
ranged by torture and .he prospect ~
death. and that IN his confusion be did
not recognize BY scDse Of touch his own
body ia his wild attempts 20 defend
himself a sharp blow directed thus
might iacerxte the brain Or the great
dorNzl blood vesseL and eausS death
independently OF the veneHs q tas
sting
so Il seems 70 me that IL il y al
rnitted tha, the scorpions DO soze-
tines Kill themselves. or verde.
shoul6 be accidental suicide. or suicide
from temporary insanity. Youth
Ioz,uzr.Ora-