SCORPIONS, SPIDERS, AND MITES 



277 



PlMc bj HigUij 



EGYPTIAN SCORPION 



A fairly targe and venomous representative of the f r o 



the united head and 



thorax are compara- 

 tively short ; but the 



abdomen is very long, 



and divided into a 



broad half, consisting 



of seven segments, 



and a narrow tail of 



five very movable 



segments, besides a 



sharp, curved sting at 



the extremity. There 



are from three to six 



pairs of eyes on the 



head and thorax, and 



in front of the body 



projects a pair of very 



large pincer-bearing 



foot-jaws. Scorpions 



are generally of a 



yellowish or black 



colour ; and thelargest 



black scorpions of Africa and India sometimes measure as much as 9 inches in length. They are 



nocturnal creatures, hiding under stones, or in holes in the ground, or in crevices in walls during 



the day. They kill the insects and other small animals on which they feed with their stings, the 



sting of one of the large black scorpions, like that of the large tropical centipedes, being as painful 



and dangerous as that of a snake. There arc a few small and comparatively harmless species 



found on the shores of the Mediterranean, but most of the scorpions inhabit warmer countries. 

 The JOINTED SPIDERS are creatures i or 2 inches long, remarkable for having the head and the 



segments of the thorax 

 separated from each other, 

 so as to form distinct di- 

 visions of the body. They 

 have rather long and very 

 hairy legs, and only one 

 pair of well-developed 

 eyes, another pair being 

 rudimentary. Some 

 species are diurnal and 

 others nocturnal in their 

 habits. They feed on in- 

 sects, and sometimes on 

 small birds, etc., and can 

 inflict a very painful bite. 

 They are found in South- 

 eastern Europe, Africa, 

 Southern Asia, and from 

 K __., , - ~__ the Southern States of 



' ^'-'^ir^ North America south to 



fhae I, Higkln 



EGYPTIAN SCORPION 



Shows the sting uplifted for attack 



Chili and Argentina. 



The FALSE SCORP- 



IONS,OrBOOK-SCORPIONS, 



