84 ^ Guide to the Zoological Collections in the 



Their legs are usually of great length. The specimens of 

 Phalangiumy Gagrella, and Maracandus in Case 58 re- 

 present this small Order. 



iii.— ARACHNID A SCORPIONIDEA. (T.ue Scorpions). 



[®£0Urn fflall-rasr© 61-62]. 

 The Scorpions are characterized by their long abdomen 

 consisting of thirteen separate and distinct segments, the 

 first seven of which are short and wide and form a broad 

 " pre-abdomen ", while the last six are long and narrow and 

 form, by their union, a long narrow "post-abdomen". The 

 terminal segment of the post-abdomen, or "tail", contains 

 the poison-gland and ends in an up-curved spine, which is 

 perforated at its tip, like the eye of a needle, for the dis- 

 charge of the poisonous secretion. 



The first pair of appendages, or "chelicerae", are short 

 pincers; the second pair, or "palpi", resemble the cheli- 

 peds of a lobster, and have the basal joint broadened to 

 form a jaw on each side of the mouth ; and the remaining 

 four pairs are crawling-legs, each ending in a double claw. 

 The eyes are found on the upper surface of the 

 cephalothorax — a large pair being placed in or near the 

 middle, and from two to five smaller eyes being found in a 

 line or in a patch near the front edge on either side. 



The Scorpions breathe by " lungs " like those of Spiders : 

 of these there are four pairs, which open on the under 

 surface of the third to the sixth abdominal segments, as 

 may be seen in several of the exhibited preparations. 



The Scorpions are carnivorous, feeding principally on 

 insects which they seize with their large pincer-like palps 

 and sting to death with the poison-spine at the end of the 

 " tail." 



The females are viviparous, and several specimens, with 

 developing eggs and embryos, are mounted in Case 62. 



The Indian genera exhibited in Case 62 are Buthus, 

 Pandinus, Palafnnxus, Scorpiops, Liocheles, Isometrus, 

 and Androctonus. 



