POISONOUS ANIMALS 223 



in the flesh of a victim through the agency of a 

 sting or piercing weapon projecting from the 

 terminal and bulbous section of their tails, wherein 

 lie two glands which secrete a poisonous fluid that 

 is capable of paralysing or even killing small 

 mammals, but is not sufficiently powerful to cause 

 death in a normally healthy man. They are found 

 in most of the warmer regions of the world, and 

 although those which inhabit Southern Europe 

 do not attain to any great size, yet in tropical 

 Africa and Southern India they frequently measure 

 as much as nine inches in length. As a rule they 

 are nocturnal in habits, and during the daytime 

 lie concealed under stones, beneath sand, or within 

 the shelter of holes which they excavate in the soil 

 with the aid of their powerful pincer-like claws. 

 They feed upon insects, various kinds of larvae 

 and spiders. Notwithstanding that the creatures 

 possess a number of eyes, it appears that their 

 vision is so defective that they are unable to see 

 anything directly in front of themselves, with the 

 result that they are forced to wait for their prey 

 to come within the reach of their grasp, instead of 

 going forth to hunt for it. When once, however, 

 a victim approaches near enough to one of these 

 creatures, it quickly seizes its prey and proceeds 

 to plunge its sting into the flesh of the unfortunate 

 captive by elevating and curling its tail forwards 

 and downwards over its own back. Never do 

 scorpions thrust out backwards with their stings 

 when attacking other animals. They are generally 

 of a very unsociable disposition, and if two of them 



