SCOltl'IONS AND ALLIED ANNTLATKD Sl'IDKliS OF THE ANGLO- EG VI"l'l AN Sl'OAN LSI 



It is a widely distributed Ijelief that a scorpion, if sunoiuidod Ijy jjioces of buriiinf< 

 coal, kills itself by means of its stin^;, if it cannot see any way of escape. But often as 

 this story has been repeated, it is not confirmed by any exact experiments ; on the 

 contrary, such experiments have shown that the scorpion only succumbs to the heat, 

 and that the movements of the " cauda " are merely executed with the intention of 

 driving away the unknown assailant. Naturally, the scorpion's poison has not any 

 action on itself, just as a viper may bite its own body without any ill effect beyond the 

 wound inflicted by its fangs. 



All scorpions are viviparous, and the young are similar to the mother in every respect, 

 with the exception that they are of a whitish colour, and are carried on the mother's 

 back during the period following birth. 



The group is distributed over all the warmer parts of the globe, becoming more scarce Habits and 

 as regards both species and individuals from the equator towards the poles. According 

 to Kraepelin the northern limit of distribution is situated in the old world between the 

 70° and 75° N. lat. ; in North America between the 35° and 70°. On the other hand, they 

 are found everywhere in the southern hemisphere, with the exception of South Patagonia, 

 New Zealand and the antarctic islands. 



They are more numerous as regards both species and individuals in dry countries, 

 where the rainfall is slight. This is clearly demonstrated by their distribution ovei- the 

 .Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, where the arid tracts of the North are inhabited by more species 

 than the districts of the Upper Nile, where a single species is somewhat connnon. In 

 accordance with their favourite habitats, scorpions do not exhibit any vivid colouring but 

 only various modifications of a brown hue varying from a very light yellow (met witli 

 especially in species living in deserts) to a yellowish- and reddish-brown and dark brown to 

 blackish with a bluish gloss. Where there are dark markings on the dorsal surface they 

 are likewise brownish to black. 



Scorpions are not only the oldest known Arachnids, but are amongst the earliest 

 inhabitants of our planet, as they have been found in deposits of the Silurian period, and 

 in a shape scarcely different from that of the scorpion of to-day. I'mscnrpiu.': (i>.-ininii and 

 raheophnniis nimcius are known from the Upper Silurian, Eoscorpius and Cfphiiloplitliahinii: 

 from the Carbonian. 



Concerning the question as to whether scorpions are dangerous to man by reason of 

 their sting, F. Dahl has given a short account of the various opinions held by authors. 

 There is no doubt that the scissor-like chelicerae, the first pair of mouth-parts of the 

 animal, do not contain poison-glands, and that therefore the scorpion's hite does not 

 cause any dangerous effect. On the other hand the inflated, vesicle-like (but hard) 

 last segment of the postabdomen contains two poison-glands, the ducts of which end 

 separately and anteriorly to the point of the terminal, very acute and more or less 

 curved sting. As a result, therefore, the scorpion meets his enemy with erected tail 

 curved over his body, and a sting from it is deadly for the sinaller warm-blooded 

 animals up to the size of a dog — rarely, also, for man. 



.\s tlie older method of proving the virulence of the poison, /.'■. simjjly to make The poison 

 the scorpion sting the animal, was not at all exact, expei'iments were made liy injecting ^.i|.„|g„^p 

 the poison directly into the blood-vessels in known quantities. Tliis was possible, as it 

 has been shown that the scoipion ejects its poison if treated with the electric current. In 

 this way three to ten drops of poison could be obtained, tlie first perfectly clear, the 

 following more milky, and, after a delay of 15 to 20 days, a fresh (piantity of i)oist)ii 

 could be obtained. Hence it was possible to carry out exact experiments witli a wciglunl 



