POISON OF SCORPIONS 6l 



the pigeon began to tremble and to move around in a 

 circle with frequent gasps and palpitations. At four 

 o'clock it fell to the ground, where it remained in con- 

 vulsions until six o'clock, when it stretched out its legs, 

 stiff and cold, as if the lower part were already dead; 

 some tremors and movements of the head and wings 

 still continued until eight o'clock, when the pigeon died ; 

 five hours having elapsed since it was wounded. As 

 soon as it was dead, I received a visit from the erudite 

 and celebrated Signor Nicholas Steno, who was anxious 

 to observe the state of the entrails of the poisoned 

 pigeon. At his advice I repeated the experiment, the 

 second pigeon dying in half an hour. A third experi- 

 ment followed, in which the wounded pigeon not only 

 did not die, but seemed to feel no ill effects from the 

 treatment. Thereupon I concluded to allow the scorpion 

 to rest and recuperate its strength. In the meantime, 

 I observed that the dead pigeons had not become swollen, 

 nor did the wounds appear livid, neither was there any 

 change in the state of the entrails. The blood, however, 

 though remaining liquid had collected in large quantities 

 in the ventricles of the heart, which seemed tumid and 

 bloated, without having changed color in the least. 



Having had frequent proof that animals killed by a 

 snake's bite, or by tobacco, which is a terrible poison, 

 can be eaten with impunity, I gave these pigeons to a 

 poor man, who was overjoyed, and ate them with great 

 gusto, and they agreed with him very well. 



Having allowed the scorpion to rest until the follow- 

 ing day, which was the twenty-fifth of February, at four 

 o'clock I pierced the side of a deer with its sting, five 

 times, and also punctured the buttocks, where the skin 

 is less thick and is hairless. But the deer did not suffer 



