MISCELLANEOUS NOTES.’ 559 
and left her in the jug. On my return I found her still quiet but resentful 
of any interference. At six and half of hours from time of immersion I took 
her out, she was a bit languid at first but resented interference. Ten minutes 
later she was very fierce and active and remained so until this morning, 
48 hours after having been put into the water, I chloroformed her. Research 
gave me the following particulars: All measurements taken as in Fauna of 
British India, Arachnida, by Pocock. Length in all 136 mm. Carapace 18, 
tail 82, brachinus 12, width of hand 17, length of moveable finger 19, length of 
hand posterior lobe to tip of fixed ginger 30. (Pocock does not say how he mea- 
sured the ‘‘ under hand.”’) Sex female, Palamnewus swammerdami. Agrees 
with the description in Fauna of British India except that colour is a 
good bolster green all over legs and vesicle reddish, qunitz operculum, pecter 
sternum yellow (except last segment dark brown to green), pentagons, cephalo- 
thoracii sternum reddish, tail blackish or almost black green. 
A. G. FRERE, 
Major, I. A. 
St. THomas’ Mount, Mapras, 
24th September 1921. 
No. XXVII.—SCORPION COMMITTING SUICIDE. 
The following occurrence may be of some interest. It is generally supposed 
that scorpions if surrounded by fire or if suddenly approached by a bright light 
will sting themselves to death rather than suffer the agonies of burning. Romanes 
amongst others in ‘‘ Animal Intelligence ” refers to it as an unique instance of 
suicide amongst animals. I have frequently tried the experiment and have 
never succeeded in getting a scorpion to sting itself. In every instance they pre- 
ferred to be burned and even walked out over the circle of fire. Others who have 
tried similar experiments have to my knowledge also failed to induce suicide. 
‘The story regarding suicide has therefore been largely discredited. The follow- 
ing occurrence would seem to prove however that on occasions scorpions undoubt- 
edly do commit suicide. The other day my wife in moving some papers disturbed 
a scorpion. Not wishing to kill it and not being certain what it was she confined 
it in an inverted peg tumbler. I returned within the hour and on removing the 
tumbler to kill the scorpion found it quite dead. Moreover, the body was swollen 
to an inordinate size almost to bursting point being quite different in appearance 
when first confined. When last seen it had been attempting to crawl up the in- 
side of the glass and invariably slipped back, but not in such a way as to make 
it at all probable that it could have accidentally stung itself. The manner and 
period of confinement were not such as to make it conceivable that an animal 
like a scorpion could have died of want of air. Moreover this would not account 
for the swollen condition of the body. The fluid which had distended the body 
was of a blackish grey colour giving one the impression that some chemical change 
in the natural fluid of the body had taken place. Taking all the circumstances 
into consideration the only possible conclusion seems to be that the scorpion 
died from poison which was self-inflicted. 
A. A. DUNBAR BRANDER, 1.r.s. 
Nant Tat, 
30th September 1921. 
