362 HOUSEHOLD INSECTS 



While closing a window shutter in the dark, the author 

 was stung severely by one of these scorpions, as was deter- 

 mined by actually finding the animal there when search 

 was made in the light. The pain was more severe than 

 that of a bee or wasp, but there was only a slight swelling 

 of the finger. So far as that is concerned, however, the 

 sting of a bee or wasp hardly ever causes the writer much 

 pain or produces much irritation. The stings of these 

 animals are quite frequently inflicted on children while 

 the latter are at play and often cause a good deal of 

 pain and irritation. The author recalls an instance in 

 which a scorpion had hidden during the day in a child's 

 night clothing hanging in a closet. When the child was 

 undressed at night and clothed with the gown, it was 

 severely stung and suffered acute pain, evidently being 

 very susceptible to the poison. Because of these habits, 

 the scorpions are considered somewhat of a nuisance and 

 become the source of considerable worry and annoyance. 



It is said that the larger species of scorpions found in 

 the tropics are very poisonous. The reports that these 

 animals kill their young and when closely cornered kill 

 themselves with their own stings can hardly be considered 

 anything more than fables. 



Castellani and Chalmers say, in discussing the effects 

 of the venom and bites of scorpions on man, that "the 

 symptoms depend upon the size and nature of the scorpion. 

 Thus, the sting of the small (3^ centimeters) Euscorpius 

 europceus causes only pain, redness, and local swelling, 

 whereas the larger tropical scorpions cause very intense 

 pain of a burning character radiating from the skin, 

 associated often with violent convulsions, mental dis- 

 turbance, and hallucinations, profuse perspiration and 



