CHAPTER VI 

 POISON-FANG AND STILETTO 



T^VERY one is more or less familiar with 

 HI/ the form and sinister appearance of the 

 Scorpion, with its large, claw-like pedipalps and 

 long, jointed tail terminating in its formid- 

 able sting. Shunning the strong sunlight, the 

 Scorpion lurks under stones and in nooks and 

 crannies in the rocks, until the short dusk of the 

 tropics gives brief warning of the approach of 

 night. Then the Scorpion quits his hiding-place 

 and sets forth in search of his prey, which consists 

 chiefly of insects, spiders, and even the smaller 

 members of his own family, running actively and 

 pouncing with agility upon his victims. In this 

 way the Scorpion is really a friend to man in 

 helping in some degree to check the swarming 

 insect life of the tropics, but unfortunately it has 

 a bad habit of entering houses and hiding itself 

 away in all sorts of undesirable situations, such 

 as in the beds, under the pillows, and in shoes and 

 boots, with startling and unpleasant results for 

 the human inhabitants. Although the sting of 

 the Scorpion is rarely fatal, it is extremely 

 painful, and always attended with a certain 

 amount of danger, as it is attended with general 



i47 



