204 



ARACHNIDS, CENTIPEDES, AND MILLIPEDES— ARTHROPODS 



very likely be in it. Scorpions are rather plentiful in the southern 

 United States. 



Courtship among the scorpions is interesting as in the spiders. Be- 

 fore mating they will grab claws with one another and do a dance which 

 is called the "dance a deux." Holding claws is probably not so much a 

 sign of affection as it is of suspicion of the partner, since the scorpions 

 are cannibalistic. The eggs are retained in the body of the female until 

 hatching and the young scorpions are brought forth alive. These clam- 

 ber on their mother's back to ride around awhile, and some varieties are 

 known to eat the mother as their first square meal. 



Photos by Winchester 



A. A scorpion. This arachnid is well respected because of the powerful sting 

 tip of its long, curved abdomen. The sting is extremely painful, but not 



Fig. 14... 



on the tip of its long, 



The granddaddy longlegs look somewhat like the spiders, but have 

 extremely long legs and segmented abdomens. Their long legs seem to 

 be a disadvantage, since they move rather awkwardly and readily pull off 

 a leg if it is grasped. They are often called harvestmen because they 

 are so abundant at harvest time. 



The mites deserve their name because they are so tiny, but they cause 

 trouble all out of proportion to their small size. The itch mites burrow 

 into the skin and the females lay eggs as they go. When these eggs 

 hatch and the young mites begin burrowing in all directions a person has 

 the "itch." The mites are too small to be seen with the naked eye, but, 

 if scrapings are taken from the infected skin and placed under the micro- 

 scope, small arachnids will be seen. The term "seven year itch," which 

 is often given to this infection, indicates that it is not easy to cure, but 



