Newport daily independent., 1905-10-13
SCORPIONS SUICIDE.
Positive Evidence That the Creature
 Does Kill Itself.
Instances in Which the Act of Self Destruction Was Unmistakahly nessed-AHected
 by Light.

 cy of the scorpion to commit suicide when surrounded by fire. Naturally enough, this has been regarded as a poetic fiction; and a distinguished writer has gone so far as to say that the popular idea regarding scorpionio sibility." The impossibility 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 tie sting to penetrate the back or even the head and there is 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 1t is exposed to light it seems to become 50 desperate as to end it's torture with it's own sting. W. G. Riddle tells this in- cident, which he himself observed in Madras, and which he communicated to Nature:
 "One morning servant brought to me large specimen of scorpion, which, having staid out too long in its noc- turnal rambles, had apparently got be- wildered at daybreak and been unable to find it's way home. To keep it safe, the creature was at once put into a glazed chronological case. Having a Jo,. of% I> forenoon, thought I 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 tho hot sun. The light and heat seemed to irritate it very much, and this recalled to my mind a story which 1 had read somewhere that scorpion, on being surrounded with fire, had committed suicide. I hesitated about submitting my pet to such terrible ordeal; but, taking a common botanical lens, 1 fo- cused the rays of the sun on it's back. The moment this was done it began to cun hurriedly about the case, hissing md splitting in a very fierce way. This experiment was repeated some four or i've times with like results, but on try. .pg it once again the scorpion turned :ts tail and plunged the stinger quick as lightning into it's own back. The inf1iction of the wound was followed by ] sudden escape of fluid, and friend standing by me called out: See. it has stung itself; it is dead;' and sure .nough, in less than half minute life was quite extinct. have written this brief note to show CD that animals may commit suicide; @ that the poison of certain animals may be destructive to themselves"
 An eminent writer. Dr. Allen Thomp- son, F. R.. S., has contributed the fol- lowing narrative of facts observed by E. F. Hutchinson, while living in the summer at the baths of Sulla, in Italy. Mir. Hutchinson and his family were very much annoyed by the frequent in- ,rusion of small black scorpions in the house, which secreted themselves among the bedclothes, in shoes, and in other articles of dress. He says:
 1t thus became necessary to be con stantlv 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 a sudden light m y informant and her friends soon became adopts in catching the scorpions and lSposing of them in the manner sug- gpsted. 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 denly bringing the light of a candle near to the glass in which the animal vas 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 a number os times. This state having lasted for a minute or more, the animal becams quiet, and, turning its tail on the hinder part of it's body over it's back, brought it's recuryed sting down upon the mid Lle 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 mals. 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 fects the physical organization of the scorpion in such a way as to be fatally injurious alike to the individual and to the species, the extraordinary fact all