SUICIDE 135 



attached to or growing from the bottom of a pond or lake 

 (Gillmore). ' Certain fowls were determined upon suicide, 

 and many jumped deliberately overboard ' on the African 

 lake Albert Nyanza (Baker). Captive birds sometimes poison 

 themselves, apparently preferring death to confinement. 



The American stag or deer commits suicide sometimes 

 when seized or attacked by the glutton by precipitating 

 itself against trees (Pierquin and Watson). 



Dr. Bidie has put upon record a very decided case of 

 suicide in the common black scorpion of Southern India, as it 

 occurs, for instance, in Madras. One was placed experimen- 

 tally in a glazed entomological case and exposed to the sun's 

 rays. ' The light and heat seemed to irritate it very much. 

 .... Taking a common botanical lens, I focussed the rays 

 of the sun on its back. The moment this was done it began 

 to run hurriedly about the case, hissing and spitting in a 

 very fierce way. This experiment was repeated some four or 

 five times with like results. But, on trying it once ' again, 

 the scorpion turned up its tail and plunged the sting .... 



into its own back In less than half a minute life was 



quite extinct.' Another Indian officer confirmed Dr. Bidie's 

 observation subsequently by asserting 'that scorpions do 



commit suicide .... is a well-known fact They 



turn back their tails and sting themselves to death ; ' for 

 instance, ' when surrounded by a circle of glowing embers,' 

 from which presumably they infer escape to be impossible 

 and death by the torture of burning imminent. Pasley's 

 experiments on scorpions also led to their death by suicide. 



A certain trap-door spider of New Zealand combines 

 murder of its young with voluntary sacrifice of its own life. 

 ' It is perfectly clear to me,' says a most intelligent observer 

 and describer of its habits, Eob. Gillies, C.E., President of 

 the Otago Institute, ' that the spider deliberately sealed its 

 nest and starved itself and its young to death. It evidently 

 could not bear to leave its home, for it could have done so 

 easily at any time with its young. The partial marring of 

 its handiwork seemed to have so disheartened it that it sealed 

 itself up in its own ruined house a broken-hearted architect 

 and builder.' 



