SCIENCE 



NEW YORK, JUNE 17, 1892. 



INSECTS IN POPULAR DREAD IN NEW MEXICO. 



BY C. H. TYLER TOWNSEND. 



In the south-western portion of the United States there 

 are many insects (using the term in its popular sense, and 

 including Arachnida and Myriopoda) which are more or less 

 striking in appearance. The Mexican element, which largely 

 predominates, is wont to clothe many of these forms in 

 ■superstition and fear. Some of them are more or less pois- 

 onous, while others are perfectly harmless. The malignant 

 nature of the poisonous ones is, as a rule, greatly magnified. 

 Space would forbid the detailing in this article of all the 

 species which are held in dread by the Mexicans, and there- 

 fore only the most prominent ones will be noticed. It 

 should also be mentioned that many Americans who have 

 lived here for some length of time share to a large extent 

 the fears of the Mexicans in this regard. 



The centipedes {Scolopendra sp.) in southern New Mexico 

 do not, as a rule, attain a length of more than four or five 

 inches. Some are found at times which measure nearly six 

 inches, but these are exceptional. They are often found in 

 the adobe houses, the roofs of which are thatched and cov- 

 ■ered with earth. The summer rains disturb them, and they 

 make their appearance inside. No one can be blamed for 

 refusing to pick up a large centipede, yet they are not so 

 dangerous as commonly supposed. As a general rule, a 

 little ammonia applied to the stings will allay all irritation 

 in a few hours, and no swelling will occur. With some 

 persons the effects are more serious. At some future time a 

 paper will be published by the writer, describing cases of 

 bites and stings of this and other poisonous insects. 



The whip-scorpion {Thelyphonus sp.) occurs here rather 

 •sparingly, but attains a good size. It is certainly a formid- 

 able looking beast when full grown. The Mexicans call it 

 vinagron, and believe, so' I am told, that its bite is sure 

 ■death. A centipede is no comparison to it in the eyes of a 

 Mexican, who would as soon face a rattlesnake or a Gila 

 ■monster. I have been unable as yet to find anyone here 

 who has been bitten by this insect, and the only specimens I 

 have were brought to me dead. Some authors declare it to 

 be harmless, while others assert the contrary. I believe, 

 however, that a bite from the jaws is more or less poisonous. 

 During a recent excavation in the city of El Paso, Texas, a 

 gang of Mexican laborers was panic-stricken on the appear- 

 ance, in the hole beside them, of a vinagron which had been 

 disclosed by a stroke of the shovel. 



The scorpion which occurs here is the smaller light-col- 

 ■ored one (Buthus sp. ), which does not attain a length of much 

 more than two inches, and is usually smaller. It is dreaded 

 by the Mexicans, but the sting is not more severe than that 

 of a hornet, and often causes no swelling and but little irri- 

 tation, which passes away in a short time. 



One of the Solpugidae (probably Datemes sp.) occurs 

 here. This family is closely related to the scorpions, and 

 contains some very strange-looking forms. The species in 



question attains a length of about one and three-quarters 

 inches. The head consists very largely of two massive pairs 

 of jaws, side by side, the two jaws of one pair working ver- 

 tically on each other instead of horizontally. The pair on 

 one side can work independently of that on the other, and 

 this intensifies the strange appearance of the insect. These 

 are held in great dread, and are doubtless in a certain degree 

 poisonous. 



The so-called tarantula {Lycosa sp.) comes next, and is 

 undoubtedly the most venomous arthropod we have in this 

 region. It is usually considered deadly. Its bite is attended 

 with serious consequences, if we can believe reports which 

 appear to be well authenticated. The largest specimen I 

 have seen here measures two and one-half inches in the 

 length of its body, which is as large as that of a half-grown 

 mouse. 



A huge unshapely cricket (Stenopelmatus sp.) is called 

 mino de la tierra (child of the earth) by the Mexicans here, 

 for the reason that it occurs in the ground and is supposed 

 to resemble an infant in the form of its head and body. Its 

 bite is believed to be fatal, and the writer once excited 

 the admiration of all present by offering in public to handle 

 all specimens that were brought him. The jaws are large 

 and powerful, and doubtless can bite quite severely, but 

 there is nothing of a poisonous nature connected with the 

 bite. The Mexicans also have a superstition that the Steno- 

 pelmatus enters the uterus of pregnant females and causes 

 monstrosities. Perhaps the dread of this cricket has arisen 

 from the fact that in general appearance it greatly resembles 

 the solpugid mentioned above. 



The rear-horse {Mantis sp.) and walking-sticks {Phas- 

 midce) appear to be confounded by the Mexicans, and ''old- 

 timers " as well, under the name of campamoches. It is 

 one of the most firmly grounded ideas in the mind of the 

 average New Mexico resident, that these insects, when acci- 

 dentally swallowed by horses or cattle, are sure death to the 

 swallower. No idea apparently could be more absurd, and 

 none is harder to dissipate. I have been told repeatedly of 

 cases where the animal was immediately cut open, and in 

 no case did the operator fail to find a campamoche in the 

 stomach. Such positive declarations would almost incline 

 one to the belief that some poisonous properties were resi- 

 dent in the bodies of these insects. 



Agricultural College, Laa Crucea, Neir Mexico, June 5. 



SCIENTIFIC WORK IN CANADA, AT THE ELEV- 

 ENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ROYAL SO- 

 CIETY OF CANADA, MAY 30 TO JUNE 2. 



Fifteen papers were read by fellows of the Royal Society 

 of Canada at its last meeting, just closed, in the Section 

 (IV.) of Geology and Biology, and five more in the Depart- 

 ment of Chemistry and Physical Sciences (Section III.). 



Of the latter, Professor Chapman's paper "On a New 

 Form of Application Goniometer " is of interest to geologists 

 and mineralogists, as is also his additional note "On the 

 Mexican Type in the Crystallization of the Topaz, with some 

 Remarks on Crystallo^rapbic Notation." 



