462 DESCRIPTION OF THE MUSEUM. 



equatorial climates. Their principal characters 

 consist in a flattened body, the two pincers or 

 claws furnished with numerous prickles, and 

 the two fore feet elongated and antenniform. 



The genera solpuga and the chelifer belong to 

 the family of the arachnides. The first inhabit the 

 warm and sandy countries of the ancient conti- 

 nent, and are considered as venomous; they run 

 with astonishing rapidity, and are distinguished 

 from the rest of their tribe by two enormous 

 mandibles projecting beyond their large head. 



We often find in our books, herbals, etc., a 

 small insect much like a scorpion, without a 

 tail ; it is the phalangium cancroides, Lin. (n 2), 

 vulgarly called the book-scorpion; it feeds on 

 the insects which destroy books. 



The family of the myriapodes (mitosata, Fabr.), 

 vulgarly called centipedes, on account of the 

 number of their feet, equal to that of the seg- 

 ments of their body, which is long or depressed, 

 are placed between the arachnides and insects 

 properly so called. It is divided into two great 

 genera : julus and scolopendra. The largest spe- 

 cies of this last are exotic ; their head is armed 

 on each side with two curved fangs through 

 which a poisonous fluid is discharged. The 

 sc. morsitans (n 2) is considered as dangerous in 

 the West India islands ; and the sc. eleclrica (n 6) 



