Newport daily independent., 1905-08-25
Instances in Which the Act of Self Destruction Was Unmtsta kahIy nesscd-Anected
 by Light.

SlDle TOT the sung 10 penetrate Ine DECK 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 It is exposed to light it seems to become 30 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 it's noc- turnal rambles, had apparently gotybe- wildered at daybreak and been unable to find its way home. To keep it safe, the creature was at once put into 8 glazed chronological case. Having . few leisure minutes in the course of tho forenoon, thought I would see how my prisoner was getting on, and to 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 it very much, and this recalled |, my mind a story which 1 had read somewhere that a 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, fo- cused the rays of the sun on it's back. The moment this was done it began to srun hurriedly about the case, hissing md splitting in very fierce way, This experiment. was repeated some four or i've times with like results, but on try ing it once again the scorpion turned :ts tail and plunged the stinger quick IS lightning into it's own back. The infliction of the wound was followed by sudden escape of fluid, and a friend standing by me called out: See, it has dung itself; it is dead;' and sure enough, in less than half minute life was quite extinct. I 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-
 
 lowing narrative of facts observed by 5. r. 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- trusion of small black scorpions in the house. which secreted themselves ;,.Iiong the bedclothes, in shoes, and in oIo oF ua
 ''It thus became necessary to be con- ;tantly on the watch for these trouble some creatures, and to take means for ,heir removal and destruction. Having >cen informed by the natives of the place that the scorpion would destroy .tself if exposed to a 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 vas inserted when the capture was made, and then, waiting till dark, sud- .enly 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 great excitement, running round and round the interior of the tumbler with reckless velocity for a number of times. This state having lasted for q minute or more, the animal became luiet, and, turning it's tail on the hinder part of it's body over it's back, brought . $ recurved sting down upon the mid .,le of the head, and, piercing it fore ihlv. 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 ;mpuntty 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- fleets the physical organiza tion 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- picable. There is reason, then, to re- but they cannot be summarily rejected. St. Louis Republic.