A Parasite of the Maggot 



about it? The Scorpion has no jarlike recep- 

 tacle in which the venom is accumulated and 

 stored, like that possessed, for instance, by the 

 Wasp and the Bee. The last segment of the 

 tail, gourd-shaped and surmounted by the 

 sting, contains only a powerful mass of mus- 

 cles along which lie the delicate vessels that 

 secrete the poison. 



In default of a poison-jar which I would 

 have placed on one side and drawn upon at my 

 convenience, I detach the last segment, form- 

 ing the base of the sting. I obtain it from a 

 dead and already withered Scorpion. A watch- 

 glass serves as a basin. Here, I tear and 

 crush the piece in a few drops of water and 

 leave it to steep for four-and-twenty hours. 

 The result is the liquid which I propose to use 

 for the inoculation. If any poison remained in 

 my animal's caudal gourd, there must be at 

 least some traces of it in the infusion in the 

 watch-glass. 



My hypodermic syringe is of the simplest. 

 It consists of a little glass tube, tapering 

 sharply at one end. By drawing in my 

 breath, I fill it with the liquid to be tested; 

 I expel the contents by blowing. Its point is 

 almost as fine as a hair and enables me to regu- 

 late the dose to the degree which I want. A 



37i 



