462 Veterinary Medicine. 



CENTIPEDES. 



These which abound everywhere and attain to large size in the 

 Gulf States, are also charged with making dangerous wounds. 

 They have poison-glands opening through the claws of the first 

 pair of legs, but even in the south it is rare to find them wound- 

 ing man or other mammal, and much more rare to see more than 

 the most circumscribed and transient inflammation resulting. In 

 the tropics the wound may kill with cyanosis, weakness, nausea, 

 involuntary defecation, and lingual paralysis or paresis. 



ANTS. FORMICID^. 



In tropics, Congo, Nicaragua, etc., neuters have caudal sting and venom 

 gland, formic acid ; deadly when attack in swarms. White ant. Velvet ant. 

 Cow-killer oi Texas. Ants as bearers of septic or other poisons. Treat- 

 ment, as for bee stings. Prevention : Boiling water, burning petroleum , 

 shavings, hay, etc. 



The different families of ants deserve notice as venomous in- 

 sects, which in warm latitudes appear at times to be actually 

 dangerous to life. This applies especially to the tropics, and to 

 the neuters and soldier ants. These working members of the 

 colony, have in addition to their enormously powerful mandibles, 

 a caudal .sting fortified by a poison in which formic acid appears 

 to be the main con.stituent. In northern climates .stinging ants 

 are exceptional but towards the equator the development of sting 

 and poison encreases. Prevost speaking of the ants of the Congo 

 region, describes how great armies will attack the natives and 

 missionaries, and will even kill cattle in their stalls. Stanley is 

 no less definite. Describing' the invading ants he says: ''Woe 

 betide the unlucky naked foot treading upon a myriad. Better a 

 flogging with nettles or cayenne over an excoriated body * * 

 than these biting and venomous thou.sands climbing up the limbs 

 and body, burying themselves in the hair of the head, and plung- 

 ing their shining, horny mandibles into the flesh, creating painful 

 pu.stules with every bite. Every living thing seems disturbed at 

 their coming. Men are screaming, bellowing with pain, dancing 

 and writhing. * * The rats and mice, snakes, beetles and 

 crickets are moving. ' ' Bates and Belt de.scribe similar onslaughts. 



