"alg 
Feb. 1, 1883 | 
NATURE 
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without splitting. The other three specimens were unaltered. 
All four specimens were slightly acid to test paper, but the 
quantity of acid was too small to be determined. 
Mareck (Chem. News, xlvii. 25, from Zettschr. fiir Anal. 
Chem, xxi.), has lately recommended the preservation of caout- 
chouc tubes, by keeping them in water when not in use. This 
is, no doubt, efficacious in consequence of the exclusion of air. 
Cooper’s Hill, January 22 Herbert McLEoD 
A Possible Cause of the Extinction of the Horses of 
the Post-Tertiary 
A TRAVELLER in the Park region of northern Colorado, and 
the central portion of Wyoming, fifteen years ago, could not fail 
to notice the immense numbers of skulls and other bones of 
bisons in districts at that time no longer frequented by these 
animals, Scattered specimens were to be seen in all directions, 
some of them bearing marks of bullet and knife which left no 
doubt as to the agent of destruction, Others were to be found 
in numbers in localities which suggested that they had been sur- 
prised by death while seeking shelter from the weather rather 
than the human destroyer. In such cases, tumbled and mixed 
by the scavengers, they were thickly strewed over small areas, 
and the contour of the surface often was such as to bring them 
closer together wiih the movement of water or soil, When 
asked the cause of the wholesale slaughter, the reply of the 
natives was almost invariably ‘‘ the hunters killed a great many, 
but the most died in the deep snow and cold weather some 
twenty-five years ago.” 
The great losses experienced by the cattle men of the Medi- 
cine Bow and Elk Mountain region, only a couple of winters 
ago, are too recent to have been forgotten. The next spring 
and summer the unfortunate owner found the carcases of his 
cattle in positions similar to those occupied by the bands of 
bisons. In small parties they had huddled in sheltered basins 
or nooks, and some, upheld by the snow through the winter, 
were still on their feet. Since then these ‘‘bone yards” have 
become similar in appearance to those of earlier date. 
Last summer the kind: ess of Prof. Agassiz enabled me to 
make some discoveries in the Mauvaises Terres of the eastern 
slope of the Rocky Mountains which vividly brought to mind 
the pockets full of recent skeletons. Sections in the Post- 
Tertiary beds here and there disclosed groups or herds of fossil 
horses (Zgwus) in circumstances so similar as to leave no alterna- 
tive to the conclusion that the same causes had filled the bone 
basins in the olden and in most recent time. 
Stripped of the strata above them, the contour of the surface 
would have been similar, and the old-time Coyotes in their 
feasting had evidently brought about an equal amount of con- 
fusion in the remains. About the time of the deposition of 
these fossils the horses became extinct. Wy is still an open 
question. Such evidence as was gathered there Las led to the 
belief that, in that region at least, occasional ‘‘ cold waves” of 
days—perhaps weeks in duration, which deep snows caused, or 
were the principal causes of the extermination of the horses, 
Other causes that may be suggested are these: lack of water, 
and an extended glacial period. A .consideration of the charac- 
ter of the deposits, the drainage of the mountains at the time, 
the absence in these beds of proof of a glacial period affecting 
them since, and the continued existence in the same locality of 
other creatures, somewhat less sensitive to the cold, would seem 
to be sufficient objections to their acceptance. The tradition of 
the Indians, that there is a winter of terrible destructicn to the 
animals once or twice in the lifetime of a man—say once in 
about forty years—appears to be confirmed by the testimony of 
the whites. A few degrees or a few days added to the measure 
of the ‘‘ wave,” or ‘‘blizzard,” and a few inches added to the 
depth of the snow would suffice to sweep the herds from the 
pastures. Weather of this character is a pcssibility every winter 
in the Bad Lands, though we hardly expect it. Apparently the 
rocks contain evidence of such weather in post-Tertiary times. 
And it may not have differed so very much from that we are 
having to-day. S. GARMAN 
Cambridge, Mass., U.S., January 12 
Suicide of Scorpions 
SPEAKING of scorpion suicide, Mr. G. J. Romanes in his 
“ Knimal Intelligence writes : ‘Still I think that so remarkable 
a‘ fact unquestionably demands further corroboration before we 
shall be justified in accepting it unreservedly” (p. 225). Some 
years ago I made some experiments and observations on a 
smaller and a larger species of scorpion found on the Cape 
Peninsula. I am unable to ascertain the specific names; the 
smaller are found beneath the bark of decaying tree-stumps, the 
larger, which often weigh upwards of seventy grains, are found 
beneath stones and ant-balls. I have recently resumed these 
experiments and observations. The conclusion I come to is 
that neither of these species have any suicidal instinct, Only in 
one case have I found, after death, any sign of such a wound as 
the sting might inflict; in this case, though one of the tergal 
plates showed a largich irregular fracture, the wound did not 
seem a fresh one, and was dry and apparently skinned over; in 
this cave, too, though I watched the death of the scorpion 
(caused by the gradual application of heat to the bottom of the 
glass vessel in which the creature was inclosed), I was not able 
to detect anything lke the act of suicide. TI will now briefly 
describe the nature of my experiments. 
1, Condensing a sun-beam on various parts of the scorpion’s 
body. The creatures always struck with the sting round, across, 
and over the heated spot, and seemed to try and remove the 
source of irritation. 
2. Heating ina glass bottle. As this admits of most careful 
watching, I have killed some twenty or thirty individuals in this 
way. ‘The creatures very commonly pass the sting over the 
body as if to remove some irritant. The poison exudes from the 
point of the sting aid there coagulates. 
3. Surrounding with fire or red hot embers. I first took a 
newspaper, mcistened a ring about a foot in diameter with alco- 
hol, and placed a scorpion within the ring. The paper was, by 
this tive, ignited. He walked without hesitation ihrough the 
fire, and tricd to make his escape. I made a ring of red-hot 
wood-embers, and placed a scorjion in the middle. He pushed 
his way out, displacing two of the embers. I made a better 
fire-wall, and put him in the middle again. He crept over the 
embers. I placed him in the midst of a ring of embers on the 
flat and much-heated stones of the fire-place. He crept over 
the embers again, but this time got baked before he could 
e: cape. 
4. Placing in burning alcohol. I placed a layer of an eighth 
of an inch of alcohol in a shallow vessel, lit the alcohol, and 
placed the scorpion in the midst of the burning spirit. 
5. Placing in concentrated sulphuric acid. I moistened the 
bottom of a large beaker with a very thin layer of concentrated 
sulphuric acid, and put in a scorpion, The creature died in 
about ten minutes. (I have also tried other strong acids, a con- 
centrated solution of sodium hydrate, and a potassium cyanide 
solution.) 
6. Burning phosphorus on the creature’s body. I placed a 
small pellet of phosphorus near the root of the scorpion’s tail, 
and lit the ;hosphorus with a touch of a heated wire. The 
creature tried to remove the phosphorus with its sting, carrying 
away some of the burning material. 
7. Drowning in water, alcohol, and ether. 
8. Placing in a bottle with a piece of cotton-wool moistened 
with benzere. 
g. Exposing to sudden light. I have not tried special experi- 
ments as to this point, but have, on turning over an ant-ball, 
suddenly exposed a scorpion, hitherto in complete or almest 
complete darkness, to the full glare of Scuth African sunshine. 
Io. Treating with a series of electric shocks. 
11. General and exasperating courses of worry. 
I think it will be admitted that some of these experiments 
were sufficiently barbarous (the sixth is positively sickening) to 
induce any scorpion who had the slightest suicidal tendency to 
find relief in self destruction. I bave in all cases repeated 
the experiments on several individuals. I have in nearly all 
cases examined the dead scorpion with a lens. My belief is that 
the efforts made by the scorpion to remove the source of irrita- 
tion are put down by thcse who are not accustomed to accurate 
observation as efforts at self-destruction. On one occasion I 
called in one of my servants to watch the death of a scorpion by 
gradually heating it in a glass bottle. The creature at once 
began moving its sting across and over its back, upon which my 
servant exclaimed, ‘‘See it is stinging itself.” Ido not wish to 
imply that all the cases of alleged scorpion suicide are merely 
instances of careless observation, All I wish to do in this 
note is to record my individual experience, and to state clearly 
that after making a series of observations as carefully as I could 
