174 EAMBLES OP A NATURALIST. [Oh. XI. 



appear to listen to the voice of the charmer as readily as 

 certain serpents are said to do. On the occasion of making 

 a new road in Labuan, black scorpions were frequently 

 turned up from under the roots of trees, and a man was 

 always at hand who professed to charm them, and to act 

 with them as above described. About houses, damp places 

 — such as bath-rooms, and out-buildings — are particularly 

 liable to be haunted by both scorpions and centipedes. But 

 their more natural habitat is under stones, in sand, or 

 among the roots of trees, among decaying wood, &c., though 

 they are not imfrequently introduced into the interior of the 

 house by the carelessness of servants, who may bring in 

 clothes which have been laid outside to dry or to air, with- 

 out having previously well shaken them. 



Of centipedes I have met with several kinds, and in all 

 the above situations. The small yellow species, similar to 

 that found in England, is not uncommon in houses and 

 gardens. It appears to bite, but not venomously, and with 

 no worse effects than a nip from the forceps of an ant. One 

 small species is luminous, like the Geophilus electricus of 

 this country. The common and dreaded species (Scolo- 

 pendra morsitans) varies very much in size ; the largest I 

 have met with being about nine inches long, and as broad 

 as the middle finger. They have sometimes a green, and 

 sometimes a brown colour — the former being most feared. 

 Both these and scorpions not unfrequently occur on board 

 ship ; but it is a general belief that life (probably diet) 

 aboard ship neutralises their venomous qualities, and that a 

 bite from one in that situation is far less severe in its effects 

 than from one of the same size upon land. When stung in 

 the dark, although the offender may escape unseen, it is 

 easy to discover to which animal the sting may be attributed 



