Sunday Washington globe., 1902-06-29
CHASING THE CENTIPEDE.
A PECULIAR INDUSTRY WHICH
FLoURlsHES IN CALIFORNIA.

Quite Profitable Business-Yeuthful
Hunters Who Make a Good Thing
Out Of Catching Poisonous Insects
For the Curiosity Dealers
Among the many remarkable de.
velopments of life on the Pacific coast
says the Los Angeles Times, the cen
tipede industry of Southern California
is uniquely prominent. thousands Of
these many-legged myriapodas being
placed on the market each year, and
even then the demand exceeds the sup
ply. Besides wholesaling immense
numbers to Eastern firms, the Califor.
mia novelty establishments find active
customers in the tourists who pur
chase formidable collections Of semi
tropical bugs and insects, centipedes
being especially popular.
During the months of March April
and May this strange industry is car
ried on with a vim, the collectors dry
ing and storing their crops to sell the
worms to the dealers for five cents
each. AS an active boy can easily
catch 100 centipedes a day, the pay is
quite considerable.
The young hunter usually carries
his lunch. sometimes in a basket,
sometimes in his pocket, but II he
were constructed like the Indian child.
rem of South America he would not
be burdened with lunch, but would
satiate his appetite with centipedes.
eating as he pleased and when he
pleased, just as he would nibble wild
berries if he were on a berrying ex
pedition. The native South American
youngsters are said to chase the CEN
tipedes from their lairs. and. after
tearing off the head. with the two at
tendant poison fangs, eat the delicacy
with gusto But this is a gustatOry
feat the American youth has yet to ac-
quire.
Besides the lunch, the hunters
paraphernaIa consists of a pair or
homemade pincers about eighteen
inches in length, and . ave-gallon Oil
can. with the top thrown half open.
Scraps of paper line the bottom Oc
can to a depth Of six or eight inches.
and in this rustling heap the worms
are placed If it were not for the
paper that pads the jail, and affords
snug hiding places, there would be Z
terrific battle, in which the whole col
lection of centipedes would unite, for
they hate their own kind. Not being
satisfied to kill their brother-captiyes.
they eat one another. so that a. the
termination Of the fight only the
larger and stronger one remains.
F'ull-grown California centipedes.
the Scolopendra castaniceps. are from
five to eight inches long, and average
forty-twO legs and twenty-one seq
ments Each leg is terminated by a
formidable brown thorn, and il the
worm is angered he simultaneously
thrusts every thorn into the flesh OF
his victim, who feels as II a red hot
iron were carving lines of pain upon
his skin. But the weapons that do the
most mischief are placed Just below
the mouth and are formed from a sec
ond pair Of feet, which are modified
into a pair Of strong claws. set horl-
Zontally, in a manner resembling the
falces OF ordinary spiders and termin-
ated by a sharp. strong hook in each
side. These hooks are perforated, and
are traversed by a little canal leading
from the poison gland. These claws
come together under the flesh. with
a hold so tenacious that the centipede
sometimes has to be torn to pieces
before 1t viii loosen its hold.
Boys who gather the creatures are
sometimes bitten, for on hot days the
worms run like a streak OF lightning
and unless the pincers Eold firm they
glide up the sticks and under the tor
menters' shirt sleeves. where they
wrcak vengeance and make trouble
generally. An application Of am
monia or cooking soda is usually Ell
cacious in removing the poison
Though the pain of being bitten by q
California centipede is intense, the
patient usually RECEIVERS.
During the year fully 10000 deadly
insects are, it is said, collected and
prepared for the market in Pasadena
Centipedes, scorpions. tarantulas. tar
antula hawks and trap-dOor spiders
are all victimized by 'he small boy:
pincers and mans ingenuity, and ar,
arranged in artistic poses for the edi
fication Of curiosity seekers. Horned
toads do not escape, and are marketed
in immense numbers. Even rattle
snakes fall into the meshes of thil
remarkable industry, their skins be
ing made into belts, purses and man!
other things.