144 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Extremely bold and watchful. 



which the tail commences; this, in the common 

 species, is armed with a hard, pointed,, and 

 crooked sting, the poison of which is very pow^ 

 erful. There are about nine different kinds of 

 this dangerous insect, chiefly distinguished by 

 their colors, some being yellow, brown, and ash 

 colored, others of a rusty iron, green, pale yellow, 

 black, claret color, white, and grey. See the 

 plate of insects, fig. 4. They are most common 

 about old houses, and in dry or decayed walls. 



Scorpions, which are very common in all hot 

 countries, are extremely bold and watchful. 

 Whenever any thing approaches, they seldom 

 exhibit signs of fear, but, with their tail erect, 

 and sting in readiness, as if fully confident of the 

 force of their poison, they wait an attack with 

 courage and intrepidity, and seldom desist till 

 either they are killed or their enemy is put to 

 flight. In some parts of Italy and France they 

 are among the greatest pests that can plague 

 mankind; but in those countries of the East 

 where they grow to a foot in length, there is no 

 removing a piece of furniture without danger of 

 being stung by them. There they are said to be 

 full as bulky as a small lobster. In Europe 

 their general size does not exceed two or three 

 inches, and their sting is very seldom found to 

 te fatal. 



Maupertuis, who made several experiments 

 on the scorpion of Languedoc, found it by no 

 means so invariably dangerous as had tijj then 



