TEXAS NATURE OBSEHVATIOMIS AND REMINISCENCES. 9 



A sub-species of scorpion, the 

 so-called vinaigron or "nigger- 

 killer," is nowadays a rare item in 

 the inland sections of Texas, how- 

 ever, they are said to abound quite 

 numerously around the frontier 

 towns. I always had been inter- 

 ested to see one of these long- 

 sheered, black scorpions alive and 

 study their habits, but never had 



ducted with the said Del Rio 

 specimen. It was my intention 

 to get a mouse, and put it alive in 

 the bottle with this specimen, 

 for scientific observation, but not 

 bfeing able to get one at the time, 

 I had several cockroaches caught 

 and put them all in the bottle, 

 to give the giant scorpion company 

 and to note what would happen. 



Two ViKWS OF THE SCORPION'S STINGING APPARATUS (Considerably Magnified). 



an occasion until about two years 

 ago, when a railroad friend, Mr. 

 Edwin Menger, Engineer on the 

 S. P. R. R., presented me with a 

 large live' specimen which was 

 caught around Del Rio, Texas, 

 and brought here in a wide-mouthed 

 bottle. So much has been said 

 and contradicted, "that they are 

 as poisonous as a rattlesnake," 

 and that they sting with their long 

 curved tail, that I was anxious to 

 find this out, if possible. The 

 latter, however, could not be prov- 

 ed Jby a little experiment I con- 



Hardly was this done when the 

 roaches became exceedingly lively 

 and crawled like mad around the 

 bottom part of the bottle, while 

 the vinaigron also became more 

 lively and fully outstretching its 

 sheerlike arms suddenly grabbed 

 one of the roaches and drew same 

 in a curved line toward its mouth- 

 parts, and sucked its lifejuice out. 

 Then it began mutilating its body 

 with its powerful and moveable 

 endsheers, and to feed on the 

 fleshy parts. In a short while, 

 two more of the roaches were thus 



