234 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



I will say, however, in justice to Dr. Dyar and to myself, that I did 

 not really believe that he would actually or in any way neglect or allow 

 harm to come to any of the types or other material in his custody in the 

 U. S. National Museum, or would carry out the natural inference to be 

 drawn from his words. I had too much regard for and confidence in him 

 as a man to believe that ; but I did believe that he gave expression to a 

 conviction that the importance of types had been overrated, and that 

 nomenclature would be more stable were there none to be referred to. 

 In which, after all, he may be right. 



THE EFFECTS OF SCORPION VENOM. 



BY O. W. BARRETT, CLARENDON, VERMONT. 



The prevailing belief in regard to scorpion stings seems to be correct : 

 dangerous, but seldom fatal. 



However, there are scorpions and scorpions. Moreover, much 

 depends upon the season and the part stung. Generally speaking, a 

 sting in the dry season is much worse than one in the rainy season, 

 because the venom becomes concentrated during the period of lesser 

 activity. And for obvious reasons a sting in the head, neck or trunk of 

 body is worse than one in the extremities. 



In Mexico the brownish-black species ( Vejovis crassimanus, Pock.; 

 V. mexicanus, Koch, and others) which passes under the name of 

 " alacran prieto " is comparatively harmless ; it prefers a moist habitat 

 and is " slow to anger." But the larger brownish-yellow species ( Centrums, 

 sp.) called "alacran huero" are perhaps the most poisonous Arthropods 

 in the world. 



Having experienced the full effect of the dry-season venom of a large 

 " huero " (as well as that of other species), I am able to give evidence that 

 is not of the "hear-say " kind. 



The pain from the sting is local and very intense for five to ten 

 minutes, until the life of the adjacent nerves is simply killed out. As the 

 ptomaine-like poison spreads into the tissues the involuntary movements 

 and cramps of affected muscles begin. In about half an hour the nearest 

 lymphatics become very painful, and the action of the poison can be felt 

 throughout the system. Then, especially if the sting be in the upper 

 extremities, a period of sneezing begins, and may last an hour or more. 

 This is a reflex action from the cervical ganglia, the functions of which 

 have been deranged by the rapid absorption of the poison into the 



