THE FALSE-SCORPIONS OF SCOTLAND 97 



legs of other Arthropods often relatively gigantic are 

 attacking the creatures for food, and that notwithstanding 

 their diminutiveness they are to be regarded, not as 

 parasites, but as animals of prey." In my experience some 

 False-scorpions have great powers of abstinence, and will live 

 for months in captivity without any food a fact which, by 

 the way, strengthens the belief that Chernes nodosus is quite 

 able to cling to his huge prey till the latter dies and affords 

 him the expected feast. 



The above observations on Chelifer latreillii clearly 

 indicate the reason why False-scorpions when feeding do not 

 retain hold of their food by the large nippers. While engaged 

 in the slow process of sucking the juices of its prey, the 

 False-scorpion must be ready to defend itself against an 

 enemy or a rival, and it keeps its pedipalps free as far as 

 possible, so that, in a sudden emergency, it may, while still 

 retaining hold of its prey in its chelicerae, be able to use 

 its great nippers for defence or attack. 



False-scorpions, even to the naked eye, may be seen 

 passing the fingers of their great pincers through the fingers 

 of the chelicerae, and under the microscope they may be 

 observed to pass the fingers of one chelicera through the 

 fingers of the other. The suspicion at once arises that they 

 are cleaning these fingers by passing them through the 

 serrula, but it is no easy matter to satisfy oneself absolutely 

 as to this. I have watched with great care the newly-hatched 

 Chthonius rayi under the microscope perform both of the 

 actions I refer to, but yet, owing to the constant necessity 

 for focussing under the high power I was using, I could not 

 positively affirm that the serrula was used in cleaning either 

 the great nippers or the little ones. My suspicions were 

 put beyond all doubt, however, on May 24, 1905, by observa- 

 tions made on CJielifer latreillii. On that day I had noticed 

 one pass the fingers of the pedipalps singly through the 

 chelicerae, and later in the day I watched another under the 

 microscope at the same performance. It passed a finger of 

 the pedipalps through one serrula, forcing apart the teeth of 

 the serrula between which it passed as it pushed the finger 

 through, and then it drew the same finger back through the 

 serrula of the other chelicera, thus cleaning both sides of the 

 66 D 



