Newport daily independent., 1905-08-02
SCORPIONS SUICIDE.
Positive Evidence That the Creature
 Does Kill Itself.
Instances in Which tho Act of Self DestructfOn Was Un mista . kahIy pessed-ARected
 by Light.


 when surrounded by fire. Naturally enough, this has been regarded ss poetic fiction; and a distinguished writer has gone so far as to say that the popular idea regarding scorpionic suicide is delusion based on an impos- sibility." The impossbility to which this writer refers is this: The sting of the scorpion is in it's tail. and the ter imitation of the tail is recurved, so that it would really be impossible for the scorpion to sting itself on the under part of it's body. But it is not impos- sible for the sting to penetrate the back or even the head; and there j, positive evidence that in certain circumstances the scorpion does commit suicide In that way. This creature seems to be unable to endure light; and when it is exposed to light it seems to become so desperate as to end its torture with it's own sting. ". G. Riddle tells this in- cident, which he himself observed in Madras, and which he communicated to Nature:
 One morning a servant brought to me large specimen of scorpion, which, having staid out too long In its noc- turnal rambles, had apparently got be- wiIdered at daybreal1 and been unable to ind it's way home. To keep it safe, the creature was at once put into a glazed chronological case. Having a few leisure minutes in the course of the forenoon, I thought l would see how my prisoner was getting on. and to have a better view of it the case was placed in a window in the rays of the hot sun. The light and heat seemed to irritate 1t very much, and this recalled '1 my mind a story which l had read somewhere that a scorpion, on being surrounded with fire, had committed suicide. l hesitated about submitting nly pet to such a terrible ordeal; but, taking common botanical lens, l fo- aused the rays of the sun on its back. The moment this was done it began to run hurriedly about the case, hissng md splitting in a very fierce way. This experiment. was repeated some four or i've times with like results, but on try Jug It OiiCC dlll IIlC SIoA I'lOil (ul IiCOI It's tail and plunged the stinger quick as lightning into it's own back. The inhictiOn of the wound was followed by ! sudden escape of fluid. and friend standing by me called out: See. it has rung itself; it is dead;' and sure enough, in less than half minute life vas quite extinct. I have written this brief note to show CD that animals may commit suicide; (2) that the poison of certain animals may be destructive to themselves"
 An eminent writer, Dr. Allen Thomp- lowing narrative of facts observed by E. F. Hutchinson. while living in the summer at the baths of Sulla, in Italy. MT. Hutchinson and his family were very much annoyed by the frequent in- trusion of small black scorpions in the house, which secreted themselves ;;.nong the bedclothes. in shoes. and in other articles of dress. He says:
 ''It thus became necessary to be con- .tantly on the watch for these trouble some creatures, and to take means for their removal and destruction. Having been informed by the natives of the place that the scorpion would destroy itself if exposed to sudden light, my informant and her friends soon became adopts in catching the scorpions and lisposing of them in the manner sug- gested. This consisted in contining the animal under an inverted drinking glass or tumbler, below which card was inserted when the capture was made, and then, waiting till dark, sud lenly bringing the light of a candle near to the glass in which the animal was confined
 No sooner was this done than the scorpion invariably showed signs of great excitement, running round and round the interior of the tumbler with reckless velocity for number of times. This state having lasted for minute or more, the animal became quiet, and, turning it's tail on the hinder part of it's body over it's back, brought it's recurved sling down upon the mid 4le of the head, and, piercing it fore ibly, in a few seconds became quite motionless. and, in fact, quite dead. This observation was repeated very frequently; in truth, it was adopted as the best plan of getting rid of the ami malls. The young people were in the habit of handling the scorpions with .mpunity immediately after they were so killed, and of preserving many Of them as curiosities."
 It would be difficult to prove that suicide is an evidence of intelligence; and it is certainly different from any other act that is prompted by instinct, for instinct always tends to the pres ervation of life in the individual and also in the species, never to its destruc- ton. Unless, therefore, there were some reason to believe that light af- fleets the physical organization of the scorpion in such a way as to be fatally in furious alike to the individual and to the species, the extraordinary fact ai- ,eged in these anecdotes Is quite inex-