3 86 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



December, 1906 



bigger than a pea, this arachnid will commonly attack human 

 beings on sight — more especially in the autumn, when, after 

 spinning her cocoon, the female broods over it like a bird 

 over its young, and is very fierce in defense of her eggs. 



The typical venomous spider possesses a poison-gland and 

 a hollow tube through which the venom is introduced into the 



A Bird-catching Spider of the Tropics — two-thirds natural size 



wound made by the fang. This gland is situated much as in 

 the rattlesnake, the poison-sac being attached to the root of 

 the tooth by a small tube which conducts the venom down 

 through the tooth. Such a similarity of structure between 

 two animals so far apart in the scale of creation as the 

 serpent and the spider, the purpose in both cases being the 

 same — namely, to inject poison — is surely most remarkable. 



Generally speaking, poisonous insects, like snakes, attain 

 much greater size in tropical latitudes, and secrete venom in 

 larger quantities. Thus, whereas most centipedes — a nat- 

 uralist would say that a centipede is a myriapod, properly 

 speaking, and not an insect strictly; but let that pass — are 

 quite harmless, a few tropical species are exceedingly 

 venomous. In addition, they emit an unpleasant acid-vapor 

 from pores along the sides of their bodies, which, if it finds 

 its way into a wound, is very irritating. But the notion, so 

 widely entertained, that their legs are poisonous, leaving a 

 trail as of fire when the creature runs over one's bare skin, is 

 utter nonsense. 



There is at least one species of tropical centipede, found in 

 Africa, that is a foot in length — a truly formidable crea- 

 ture — and specimens fully two-thirds that size are frequently 

 fetched to this country from Brazil in logwood. These ani- 

 mals, which are predaceous by habit, devouring snails and 

 small crustaceans, are most commonly to be found beneath 

 dead leaves or other such debris in the woods. In the poison- 

 ous members of the tribe the venom-gland is at the base of 

 the jaws, which are capable of inflicting a nasty bite. It is 

 suspected, by the way, that some sort of poison-apparatus is 

 possessed by the common household myriapod (related to the 

 true centipedes), which, if caught between bed-sheets or 

 otherwise cornered, will bite, severe swelling and pain fol- 

 lowing the injury. 



Fatal results have in many recorded instances followed 

 encounters with scorpions, which in warm latitude sometimes 

 attain extraordinary size — seven or eight inches in length, 

 with powerful claws resembling those of a crab. Recent 

 study of the subject has revealed the fact that the venom of 

 these arachnids is contained in a small gland at the end of 

 the tail, which terminates in a horny and exceedingly sharp 

 point, called the "sting." The animal carries its tail curled 

 over its back, and when it wishes to fight snaps with it over 

 its head, seldom misses what it aims at. When the sting 

 penetrates the skin of the victim the poison is emitted 

 through it by a contraction of the above-mentioned gland. 



The scorpion is an extremely vicious creature, and its 

 character is well portrayed by an Oriental myth, which tells 

 how, on a certain occasion, one of these arachnids while on 

 a journey came to the bank of a wide river and paused in 

 perplexity unable to cross over, yet unwilling to return. A 

 tortoise, seeing his situation and moved by compassion, took 

 him on his back as a passenger, and was swimming toward 

 the opposite shore, when he heard a noise upon his shell, as 

 of something striking him. He called out to know what it 

 was, and the scorpion answered: "It is only the motion of 

 my sting. I know it can not injure you, but it is a habit 

 which I can not relinquish." "Indeed!" replied the tortoise. 

 "Then I can not do better than to free so bad a creature from 

 his evil disposition, and secure the good from his malevo- 

 lence." Saying which, he dived under the water, and the 

 scorpion was drowned. 



In the Tierra Templada of Mexico there is a locality 

 known as the Valley of Scorpions, because of the extraor- 

 dinary numbers of these creatures found there. It is said 

 to be hardly possible to turn over a stone without discover- 

 ing three or four wicked-looking specimens beneath. They 

 are not large, as a rule, but are of a pale color and reputed 

 very dangerous — the pale hue, according to popular belief at 

 least, being a bad sign. A pity it is that more is not known 

 about the venom of scorpions, which, it might be men- 

 tioned, are often fetched from the tropics to our own sea- 

 ports in bunches of bananas. Their sting is evidently in- 

 tended merely as a defensive weapon, and is not employed 

 for killing the insects which they pursue for food. 



In temperate latitudes ants, while frequently an annoyance, 

 are never dangerous. Naturally, then, it is difficult for us 

 to realize the perils which occasionally threaten human inhab- 

 itants of the tropics when they are obliged to fly for their 



Electric-light Bug. An insect vampire said to suck the blood of fishes 



lives from such insects, which, marching in great armies, are 

 not to be resisted by any known means whatsoever. The 

 so-called "driver" ants of Africa, for example, move in col- 

 umns sometimes a mile in length, and they turn aside for 

 nothing. If a house happens to be in their path, the inmates 



