Newport daily independent., 1905-09-09
SCORPIONS SUICIDE.
Positive Evidence That the Creature
 Does Kill Itself.
Instances in Which the Act of Self DestructIOn Was Unmfst l<ahIy Wttnessed-AHected
 by Light.

Lord Byron has referred to tenden- cy of the scorpion to commit suicide when surrounded by fire. Naturally enough, this has been regarded as 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 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 1t 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 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 30 desperate as to end it's torture with It's | own sting. w. G. Riddle tells this i'm cident, which he himself observed In | Madras, and which he communicated 1 to Nature:
 "One morning a servant brought to me large specimen of scorpion, which, having staid out too long in it's noc- turnal rambles, had apparently got be- wildered at daybreak and been unable l to find it's way home. To keep it safe, l the creature was at once put into glazed chronological case. Having | few leisure minutes in the course of the forenoon. thought I would see how my prisoner was getting on. and t6 | have a better view of it the case was placed in window in the rays of the hot sun. The light and heat seemed to | irritate 1t very much, and this recalled D my mind story which I had read somewhere that scorpion, on being surrounded with fire, had committed suicide. I hesitated about submitting | my pet to such a terrible ordeal; but, taking a common botanical lens, fo- f cused the rays of the sun on it's back. The moment this was done 1t began to run hurriedly about the case, hissing md splitting in very fierce way. This | experiment. was repeated some four or dye times with like results, but on try Ing it once again the scorpion turned .ts tail and plunged the stinger quick | as lightning into it's own back. The | infliction 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 enough, in less than half minute life was quite extinct. have written this brief note to show CD that animals may commit suicide; (s) that the poison of certain animals may be destructive to l themselves"
 | An eminent writer, Dr. Allen Thomp- son, F. R. S., has contributed tho fol- lowing narrative of facts observed by E. F. Hutchinson, while living in tho 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 tho house, which secreted themselves among the bedclothes. in shoes. and in other articles of dress. He says:
 "It thus became necessary to be con- stantly on the watch for these trouble. some creatures, and to take means'for their removal and destruction. Having been informed by the natives of tho place that the scorpion would destroy itself if exposed to sudden light, my l informant and her friends soon became adopts in catching the scorpions and lisposing of them in the manner sug
 gested. This consisted in confining l the animal under an inverted drinking glass or tumbler, below which a card was inserted when the capture was made, and then, waiting till dark, sud
 lenly bringing the light of candle near to the glass in which the animal was confined.
 ''No sooner was this done than the scorpion invariably showed signs of 1 great excitement, running round and l 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 sting down upon the mid de of the head, and, piercing 1t forc- ibly in few seconds became quite motionless. and, in fact. quite dead. This observation w@s repeated very frequently; in truth, It was adopted as the best plan of getting rid of the anil malls. The young people were in the habit of handling the scorpions with impunity 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 it's destruc- ton. Unless. therefore. there were some reason to believe that light af- fects the physical organization of the scorpion In such way as to be fatally
 injurious alike to the individual and to the species, the extraordinary fact all