﻿new 
  and 
  old 
  ButhitLe. 
  .'$.'37 
  

  

  the 
  first 
  place 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  likely 
  that 
  a 
  mistake 
  should 
  

   be 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  identification 
  of 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  B. 
  Martensii] 
  

   for 
  Dr. 
  Karsch 
  has 
  made 
  comparatively 
  easy 
  the 
  recognition 
  

   of 
  his 
  species 
  by 
  giving, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  a 
  detailed 
  description, 
  

   a 
  comparison 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  a 
  form 
  so 
  well 
  known 
  as 
  B. 
  

   hottentotta, 
  Fabr. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  second 
  place, 
  Mons. 
  Simon 
  has 
  made 
  perhaps 
  but 
  

   little 
  less 
  certain 
  the 
  identification 
  of 
  B. 
  confucius 
  by 
  adding 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  the 
  following 
  

   words: 
  — 
  u 
  Tr%$-commun 
  sur 
  les 
  rochers 
  de 
  Vile 
  du 
  phare 
  de 
  

   Tcbefou; 
  Sgalement 
  commun 
  a 
  PSlcin 
  " 
  &c. 
  

  

  Now 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  possesses 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  thirty- 
  

   five 
  specimens 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Buthus 
  which 
  were 
  brought 
  by 
  

   Col. 
  Swinhoe 
  from 
  Pekin 
  and 
  Tchefou 
  ; 
  and 
  these 
  specimens 
  

   agree 
  with 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  B. 
  confucius 
  sufficiently 
  well 
  to 
  

   leave 
  no 
  doubt 
  but 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  rightly 
  to 
  be 
  called 
  by 
  that 
  

   name. 
  Moreover, 
  as 
  stated 
  above, 
  the 
  Museum 
  possesses 
  a 
  

   long 
  series 
  of 
  Scorpions 
  which 
  agree 
  precisely 
  with 
  the 
  diag- 
  

   nosis 
  of 
  B. 
  Martensii. 
  But 
  a 
  comparison 
  between 
  these 
  last 
  

   and 
  those 
  from 
  Pekin 
  and 
  Tchefou 
  settles 
  at 
  once 
  the 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  points 
  of 
  similarity 
  and 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  

   two 
  series, 
  and 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  points 
  of 
  difference 
  are 
  amply 
  

   sufficient 
  to 
  justify 
  their 
  separation 
  as 
  distinct 
  species 
  ; 
  for 
  

   all 
  the 
  specimens 
  of 
  confucius 
  may 
  be 
  recognized 
  at 
  a 
  glance 
  

   from 
  all 
  the 
  specimens 
  of 
  Martensii 
  by 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  fifth 
  

   caudal 
  segment. 
  This 
  segment 
  in 
  Martensii 
  is 
  beneath 
  

   remarkably 
  convex 
  from 
  before 
  backwards 
  and 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  

   side, 
  and 
  the 
  carina? 
  are 
  evenly 
  granular 
  throughout 
  ; 
  poste- 
  

   riorly 
  this 
  segment 
  is 
  not 
  constricted, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  con- 
  

   spicuous 
  dilatation 
  of 
  it 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  vesicle. 
  But 
  in 
  

   confucius 
  the 
  under 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  fifth 
  caudal 
  segment 
  is 
  but 
  

   little 
  convex, 
  and 
  its 
  armature 
  is 
  rather 
  denticulate 
  than 
  

   granulate 
  ; 
  the 
  denticles 
  on 
  the 
  posterior 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  keels 
  

   being 
  larger 
  than 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  anterior 
  half. 
  Moreover 
  the 
  

   inferior 
  surface 
  is 
  distinctly 
  constricted 
  behind 
  and 
  dilated 
  

   into 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  lobe. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  these 
  features 
  the 
  

   two 
  species 
  may 
  be 
  separated 
  by 
  others 
  almost 
  equally 
  well- 
  

   marked 
  ; 
  for 
  instance 
  the 
  dorsal 
  abdominal 
  keels 
  in 
  confucius 
  

   are 
  much 
  more 
  complete 
  and 
  parallel 
  than 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  Mar- 
  

   tensii, 
  and 
  the 
  female 
  of 
  confucius 
  has 
  a 
  much 
  thicker 
  hand. 
  

  

  Buthus 
  socotrensis 
  } 
  sp. 
  n. 
  (PI. 
  XV. 
  fig. 
  3.) 
  

  

  Colour 
  very 
  characteristic. 
  The 
  whole 
  body, 
  above 
  and 
  

   below, 
  with 
  palpi, 
  legs, 
  tail, 
  and 
  cephalothorax 
  uniformly 
  

   ochraceous, 
  testaceous, 
  or 
  a 
  combination 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  ; 
  the 
  

  

  