268 DENIZENS OF THE DESERT 



Why, if a mule even drinks water from a trough 

 in which a vinegaroon has died, he will die too." 



While not all Mexicans hold the vinegaroon 

 in such dread as did this man, yet there are 

 great numbers of them who feel just as he felt 

 about them. It is an old superstition that can- 

 not be uprooted. 



I must admit that there is something un- 

 canny and strange-looking about these queer 

 animals with their four enormous, sharp- 

 pointed, protruding jaws, and it is not strange 

 that the ignorant are afraid of them. They run 

 around so bewilderingly fast and in such helter- 

 skelter fashion that you can never be just sure 

 when they are going to crawl all over you. Small 

 wonder that they are called " wind-scorpions " 

 sometimes! 



During the day the solpugids, as these crea- 

 tures are technically known, hide in crevices in 

 wood and under stones, and too often we find 

 them seeking refuge in the folds of the camp 

 blankets or in the pack boxes. At night they 

 come out, run about, and, while very actively 

 darting here and there, pounce upon insects 

 and suck them for their blood. The population 



