SCORPIONS, SPIDERS, AND MITES 



277 



the united head and 

 thorax are compara- 

 tively short ; but the 

 abdomen is \'ery long, 

 and divided into a 

 broad half, consisting 

 of seven segments, 

 and a narrow tail of 

 five very movable 

 segments, besides a 

 sharp, curved sting at 

 the extremity. There 

 are from three to six 

 pairs of e\'es on the 

 head and thorax, and 

 in front of the body 

 projects a pair of very 

 large pincer-bearing 

 foot-jaws. Scorpions 

 are generally of a 

 yellowish or black 

 colour ; and thelargest 



black scorpions of Africa and India sometimes measure as much as 9 inches in length. They are 

 nocturnal creatures, hiding under stones, or in holes in the ground, or in crevices in walls during 

 the day. They kill the insects and other small animals on which they feed with their stings, the 

 sting of one of the large black scorpions, like that of the large tropical centipedes, being as painful 

 and dangerous as that of a snake. There are a few small and comparati\el}' harmless species 

 found on the shores of the Mediterranean, but most of the scorpions inhabit warmer countries. 

 The JiJlXTED Spiders are creatures i or 2 inches long, remarkable for having the head and the 



segments of the thorax 



Ph^li b) H<ghl,j 



EGYPTIAN SCORPION 



j4 fairly large and 'vencmous representati've of the grcup 



EGYPTIAN SCORPION 



Shoivi the itir.g upUfted for attack 



separated from each other, 

 so as to form distinct di- 

 visions of the body. They 

 have rather long and very 

 hairy legs, and only one 

 pair of well-developed 

 eyes, another pair being 

 rudimentary. Some 

 species are diurnal and 

 others nocturnal in their 

 habits. The_\- feed on in- 

 sects, and sometimes on 

 small birds, etc., and can 

 inflict a very painful bite. 

 They are found in South- 

 eastern Europe, Africa, 

 Southern Asia, and from 

 the Southern States of 

 North America south to 

 Chili and Argentina. 

 The False Scorp- 



lONS.orBOOK-SCORPIONS, 



