THE FALSE-SCORPIONS OF SCOTLAND 95 



such cases I had not seen the first act in the drama, nor 

 was I permitted to see the last, for I could not induce a 

 False-scorpion disturbed at its meal to continue feeding when 

 under observation, and to reveal to me the method it 

 employs in rejecting the creature whose juices it has sucked 

 dry. 



METHOD OF FEEDING. 



At last, on 27th May 1905, I obtained the long-wished- 

 for opportunity of watching the external operations associated 

 with feeding in False-scorpions. I had brought home some 

 specimens of Obisium muscorum with their embryonic young 

 attached, and, detaching one of these hemispherical embryonic 

 masses from a female Obisium, I placed it in front of an 

 adult Clielifer latreillii and waited developments. After 

 some time the Chelifer touched the mass with its right 

 pedipalp, then brought its left pedipalp in contact with the 

 other side, and closing both pairs of nippers on the mass 

 it drew the latter towards its head ; then relaxing its hold 

 with its right pedipalp, it gripped the mass at a point 

 farther from its head, and brought it into contact with its 

 chelicerae. With these latter it now gripped the mass, 

 and drew back its pedipalps from the mass altogether. The 

 food-mass, however, lay over the top of the chelicerae and 

 prevented my seeing the actual sucking process by which 

 the creature obtains it nourishment. I began to time the 

 Chelifer at 8.19 P.M., after it had drawn back its pedipalps. 

 At 8.25 the Chelifer again brought its pedipalps into 

 action ; gripping the mass in its pedipalps, it released its 

 hold with the chelicerae, and raising up the food-mass 

 with its pedipalps it tested it with its chelicerae, and, as 

 soon as it had brought these latter into definite action again, 

 it once more withdrew its pedipalps from the mass. At 

 8.31 it took hold of the mass again with its pedipalps and 

 held it aloof from its chelicerae while it cleaned these latter, 

 the one in the other ; and on again bringing the mass into 

 contact with the chelicerae it retained a hold with its left 

 pedipalp for nearly two minutes before it withdrew it. At 

 8.43 it touched the mass several times with both pedipalps 

 to steady it. At 8.51 it again gripped the mass with its 



