December 2, 1895.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



273 



and the West Indies, certainly as far as the southern por- 

 tions of Brazil. 



Of the palsontological history of whip-scorpions but 

 little is known. A few specimens, however, from the 

 carboniferous beds of Bohemia and Illinois show that, like 



Hose's Wlup-Scorpion (Thelyphonus TioseiJ. 



the scorpions, these animals have existed on the earth 

 with but little change in structure from that remote period 

 until the present time. 



Our knowledge of the habits of the Thelyphonid» has 

 been greatly mcreased during the last few years by observa- 

 tions made of different species Uving in America and in the 

 East Indies. 



Mr. E. W. Oates, who has perhaps collected more of these 

 animals than any other man living, tells us that in Burma 

 they live under timber and stones, or at the roots of trees 

 under accumulated dead leaves and rubbish, lying concealed 

 during the daytime and creeping about at night only. They 

 certainly require moisture, but muse have well-di'ained 

 soil. Prof. Wood-Mason, however, goes a step further 

 than this and affirms that he found them only during the 

 heaviest rains, when the soil and surrounding vegetation 

 was saturated with water. He noticed, too, that they soon 

 die when removed from their humid haunts, and from 

 this circumstance it was inferred that air laden with 

 moistm-e is necessary for respiration. We are told, on the 

 contrary, by ^Mr. Schwarz, that in Florida a species is 

 found in dry, sandy localities : and if we are to allow cre- 

 dence to these somewhat irreconcilable statements, it would 

 seem that the American and the Indian species differ con- 

 siderably in constitution. 



Like many animals which have a reptttatiou for scarcity. 



whip- scorpions seem abundant enough if the observer 

 knows where to look for them. Mr. Oates says that upon 

 one occasion, while visiting Double Island, which lies off 

 the coast of British Burma, he and a friend secured no less 

 than three hundred and sixty specimens during a three 

 hours' search. 



All the known species appear to be nocturnal, spend- 

 ing the day in hiding beneath stones, logs of wood, etc. 

 But there is no doubt that some species dig for them- 

 selves holes in the grotmd, which are used as permanent 

 places of abode. Mr. Pergande, of Washington, who kept 

 in captivity a specimen of the North American species, T. 

 f/iganteus, put it into a jar, the bottom of which was covered 

 to a depth of about ten inches with sand. The animal, 

 after first making a tour of exploration, began to dig a 

 brurrow. Choosing a place where there was a slight hoUow, 

 it started scraping the sand together from a particular spot 

 with one of its great pincers. It then used both of these 

 organs for the same purpose, and, dragging the sand back- 

 wards some distance from the spot, proceeded to smooth 

 and level down the heap, the object of this action probably 

 being to prevent an accumulation of sand near the mouth 

 of the burrow. The animal repeated this operation until 

 it had dug out a tunnel from two to three inches deep, the 

 inner end being about an inch and a half below the surface. 

 The completion of the burrow, however, took several days, 

 the operator seeming to require many rests between whiles. 



When on the prowl the animal moved about the jar very 

 cautiously and slowly, with its great pincers outstretched 

 in readiness to grab anything edible that it might come 

 across, the first pair of legs, or feelers, being kept in con- 

 stant and active motion, touching all objects within reach. 

 Upon perceiving the presence of a cockroach, the Tlulyphonus 

 either stopped or moved scarcely perceptibly, but not being 

 active enough to catch so agile an insect by speed of foot, 

 it adopted a cunning device to gain its end. Waiting near 

 the cockroach with extended nippers, it stretched out its 

 long front pair of legs, and by cautiously tapping the insect 

 on the further side gradually induced it to advance within 

 reach of its pincers ; then suddenly grasping it with these 

 organs and crushing it to death in their strong embrace, 

 it carried away the victim to be devoured at leisure in its 

 burrow. 



The late Dr. Marx also kept in captivity a specimen ot 

 this species, which was supposed to be only a few days old 

 when captured. It started to dig a home for itself in the 

 sand within twenty-four hours of its being put into a glass 

 jar. The burrow was luckily made close to the glass wall 

 of the jar, so that the animal was kept constantly under 

 observation. It devoured on an average one or two small 

 cockroaches per week, but did not appear to drink any of 

 the water with which it was supplied. In this respect it 

 resembled scorpions which never seem to require water. 

 For about three months during the coldest part of the 

 year this animal closed up the aperture of its burrow and 

 stayed in the deepest part, which had been enlarged for the 

 purpose. But during this period of quiescence, it did not 

 lapse into a lethargic or dormant state as is usual with 

 hibernating animals, but stood quietly in its retreat, 

 sensitive to the slightest disturbance. In their natural 

 surroundings, however, these animals do not always bury 

 themselves in the winter, for during a spell of cold weather 

 in Florida, Mr. Schwarz found them under logs, apparently 

 in as active a condition as in the summer. 



At the breeding season. Dr. Strubell tells us, the female 

 of Thelyiihmns caudntus, which is common in Java, buries 

 herself a foot or more deep in the groimd and there lays her 

 eggs, which she subsequently carries about attached to the 

 lower surface of her abdomen. The young when first 



