SCORPIO OCCITANUS. 15 5 



houses, and shunning the light. They run quickly, bending their 

 tail in the form of an arch over their back. They are ovo-vivipa- 

 rous, the body of the pregnant female exhibiting, when dissected, 

 between forty and fifty young. Each of these exist in the ovaries 

 at first as eggs, but are hatched within the body of the mother, 

 and come out in the larva state. The larvae and pupae are eight- 

 legged, extremely active, and resemble the perfect insect. The 

 young, when first excluded from the parent, are entirely white, but 

 acquire their dusky colour in the space of a few days. From the ob- 

 servations of Maupertuis and others, it appears that these animals 

 cast their skins, at certain periods, in the manner of spiders. 



The poison of the Scorpion is evacuated through three small foramina 

 near the tip of the sting. ' Tt is well known/ says Dr. Shaw, * that a 

 diversity of opinion has prevailed amongst authors relative to the 

 slit or foramen in the fangs of spiders, through which their poison is 

 evacuated. The same contrariety of sentiment takes place with 

 respect to such a foramen in the scorpion's sting. The celebrated 

 Redi, assisted by the best microscope he could procure, was not 

 able to discover it ; though he was well convinced of its existence 

 from perceiving the minute drop of poison exude from near the 

 tip of the sting. Others have denied the existence of the foramen ; 

 but Valisneri and Leewenhoek have both described two foramina, 

 viz. one on each side of the tip, and which are of the shape inclin- 

 ing to triangular ; besides these, a third foramen has sometimes 

 been seen ; so that the sting of the scorpion can with greater faci- 

 lity discharge its venom than that of any other animal. Several 

 fabulous anecdotes of the scorpion/ continues this popular writer, 

 ' have been recorded by the older authors on natural history, which 

 are totally unworthy of being related in the present enlightened age. 

 One of the most remarkable of these legends is, that a scorpion 

 surrounded by live coals, finding no method to escape, grows des- 

 perate from its situation, and stings itself to death. It is not/ he 

 observes, ' uncommon to hear this quoted with serious credulity as 

 the only instance of suicide amongst the inferior animals/ 



The poison of scorpions, though much more active, is said to 

 resemble that of bees and wasps in many of its chemical qualities. 

 It is discharged from the pores of the sting, where, when the 



