THE SCORPION. 14.5 



Experiments by JMaupertuis. 



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been represented. He provoked one of them to 

 sting a dog in three places of the belly, which 

 svas without hair; in about an hour after the 

 poor animal seemed greatly swollen, and he be- 

 came very sick ; he then cast up what he had in 

 his stomach, and for about three hours continued 

 vomiting a whitish liquid. His belly was always 

 very much swollen when he began to vomit; this 

 operation seemed to abate the swelling, which 

 alternately increased, and was thus reduced for 

 three hours successively. The poor animal after 

 this fell into convulsions, bit the ground, dragged 

 himself along upon his fore feet, and at last died, 

 about five hours after he had been bitten. Some 

 days after, however, the same experiment was 

 tried upon another dog, and even with more ag- 

 gravated cruelty, yet the dog seemed no way 

 affected by the wounds, but, howling a little 

 when he received them, continued perfectly alert, 

 and was soon set at liberty, without shewing the 

 smallest symptom of pain. The same experi- 

 ment was tried, by fresh scorpions, upon seven 

 other dogs, and three hens, but not the smallest 

 deadly symptom was seen to ensue. From hence 

 it appears that many circumstances, which are 

 utterly unknown, must contribute to give efficacy 

 to the scorpion's venom. Whether its food, long 

 fasting, the season, the nature of the vessels it 

 wounds, or its state of maturity, contribute to or 

 retard its malignity, is yet to be ascertained by 

 succeeding experiments. In. the trials made by 



Vt)L. VI. NO. 41. T 



