24 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



readily be overlooked. Often at a first glance have I failed to see 

 specimens on stones which on a more careful survey would yield me 

 two or three individuals ; on such occasions I should sometimes 

 have missed them altogether but for the minute examination to 

 which I subjected the stones in the belief that I was in their haunts. 

 If one's attention is turned away from the creature for a few seconds, 

 some difficulty is often experienced in detecting it again. 



Several individuals are often found together, and the creature 

 associates freely with Chthonius rayz, and to a less extent with Ch. 

 tetrachelatus and Obisiitm inuscorum. It moves slowly, generally 

 keeping its nippers partially extended, and constantly varies the 

 position of its pedipalps, that every corner within range of the great 

 pincers, as the creature advances, may be thoroughly investigated. 

 The long pedipalps, exploring regions so far comparatively from its 

 head, give the creature a rather unwieldy appearance. 



On one occasion a Chernes dubius which I had turned up had 

 three eggs, apparently those of a mollusc, attached to its chelicerae. 

 Thinking that these were merely in accidental touch with the 

 creature I proceeded to remove them, but on doing so, I found 

 that they were being held by the animal, and, although at my next 

 attempt I separated the eggs, I was then convinced that they were 

 being sucked by the False-scorpion. On another occasion I saw a 

 Ch. dubius carrying a larval centipede in one of its great pincers. 

 The slow but persistent activity of this species, when under obser- 

 vation, leads one to infer that it is accustomed to be ever on the 

 hunt for food. One wonders how such a little blind animal of this 

 kind can procure food at all, but, though our little friend may 

 require great patience before he effects a capture, he no doubt makes 

 a lasting meal off a single catch. 



The finding of nests containing individual immature specimens, 

 on September 12, 1903, at Aberdour in Fife, was a great event in 

 my working out of the life-history of these animals. I lifted up a 

 large stone resting firmly near high-water mark in the kind of 

 position which experience had taught me offers a tempting home for 

 dubius ; at first glance the stone, which was covered with many little 

 pits, revealed nothing, but a second glance detected Chthonius myi, 

 then a Chernes dubius. The latter I touched with a pin from be- 

 hind, and it responded very feebly and slowly to the touch, betraying 

 nothing of the activity of Ch. rayi in facing round to the enemy. 

 Meanwhile two more Ch. rayi came under my notice, and the 

 possibility of the presence of nests occurred to me. A very short 

 search revealed a small, but typical, False-scorpion's nest ; I opened 

 it carefully with a pin, and, to my intense surprise and delight, 

 there issued from it a young Ch. dubius of the light hue so charac- 

 teristic of all False-scorpions when beginning a free life or after 

 having moulted. There were many nests on the stone, and out of 



