THE SCORPION KIND. 



759 



the water, deserve our greatest attention. 

 By these the little creature can move in a 

 straight line ; waving its arms, as a bird does 

 its wings in the air, sometimes upward, some- 

 times downward, sometimes to the right, 

 sometimes to the left, yet still continuing to 

 proceed in a right line. By striking the 

 water with its arms, it car ascend with great 

 velocity ; and by striking in a contrary di- 

 rection, it dives with equal ease. As these 

 motions are very rapid, the little animal ap- 

 pears to jump in the water, its head always 

 tending to the surface, and its tail stretched 

 downward. This insect is produced from an 



ij egg, which, when excluded, is carried on the 

 back ol'the female, and soon is seen floating 

 in the water round her. Its appearance at 

 first is that of a very small whitish insect, 

 endued with a very nimble motion. Except 

 in colour, it suffers no change, only continuing 

 to grow larger and redder, as it grows old. 

 They sometimes remain several days on the 

 surface of the water; and sometimes an; 

 seen at the bottom only ; but they are never 

 at rest. They change their skin, like most 

 other insects; and the cast skin resembles 

 the insect itself so exactly, that one might 

 mistake the mask for the animal. 



CHAPTER CLXXV. 



OF THE SCORPION, AND ITS VARIETIES. 



THERE is scarce an insect without wings 

 that is not obnoxious to man : the smallest 

 have the power of annoying him, either by 

 biting or stinging him ; and though each is in 

 itself contemptible, they become formidable 

 from their numbers. But of all this class, 

 there is none so terrible as the Scorpion, 

 whose shape is hideous, whose size among 

 the insect tribe is enormous, and whose sting 

 is generally fatal. Happy for England, the 

 scorpion is entirely a stranger among us! In 

 several parts of the continent of Europe it is 

 but too well known, though it seldom grows 

 above four inches long: but in the warm tro- 

 pical climates, it is seen a foot in length, and 

 in every respect as large as a lobster. 



The scorpion is one of the largest of the 

 insect tribe, and not less terrible from its 

 size than its malignity. It resembles a lob- 

 ster somewhat in shape, but is infinitely more 

 hideous. There have been enumerated nine 

 different kinds of this dangerous insect, chief- 

 ly distinguished by their colour, there being 

 scorpions yellow, brown, and ash-coloured ; 

 others that are (he colour of rusty iron, green, 

 pale yellow, black, claret- colour, white, and 



gy- 



There are four principal parts distinguish- 

 able in this animal; the head, the breast, the 



belly, and the tail. The scorpion's head 

 seems, as it were, jointed to the breast ; in 

 the middle are seen two eyes ; and a little 

 more forward, two eyes more, placed in the 

 fore part of the head : these eyes are so small, 

 that they are scarcely perceivable; and it is 

 probable the animal has but little occasion 

 for seeing. The mouth is furnished with 

 two jaws; the undermost is divided into (wo, 

 and the parts notched into each other, which 

 serves the animal as teeth, and with which it 

 breaks its food, and thrusts it into its mouth : 

 these the scorpion can at pleasure pull back 

 into its mouth, so that no part of them can be 

 seen. On each side of the head are two arms, 

 each composed of four joinls; the Inst of 

 which is large, with strong muscles, and made 

 in the manner of a lobster's claw. Below the 

 breast are eight articulated legs, each divided 

 into six joints; the two hindmost of which are 

 each provided with two crooked claws, and 

 here and there covered with hair. The belly 

 is divided into seven little rings.- from the 

 lowest of which is continued a tail composed 

 of six joints, which are bristly and formed like 

 little globes, the last being armed with a 

 crooked sting. This is that fatal instrument 

 which renders this insect so formidable: it is 

 long, pointed, hard, and hollow ; it is pierced 



