LITHOBIUS 



99 



The Scutigeras are characteristic 

 of the tropics, where they hve 

 preferably in cellars, crawUng up 

 horizontal walls. 



Scol'opendra ' includes longer 

 and stouter myriapods than Litho- 

 bius (Fig. 100). To this genas 

 belong the poison- 

 ous centipedes of 

 tropical countries. 

 Among these is the 

 giant Scolopendra 

 of our Southern 

 States, South 

 America, and the 

 West Indies, which 

 reaches a length of 

 25 centimetres or 

 more. This ani- 

 mal has a poison- 

 ous bite, which is ■'-"^j/.f^x-'^ 

 fatal to insects and /oQ^X 

 other small ani- J'f/fA-x"^ 

 mals, and causes painful and even dangerous ///~^'A'\ 

 wounrls upon man. The biting apparatus is the // \ "" 



first pair of feet, modified to form sharp hooks, y - 



and provided with poison-glands, which open Fig. lOO. Scolo- 



" pendra. Nat. 



near the apex of the claw. According to Hum- size. From 



boldt, the Indian children of South America tear '^^"'"'^' 



off the heads of large centipedes and eat the remaining portions. 



^ Greek name for milliped. 



Fig. 99. — Scutigera. Nat. size. 

 From Wood. 



