SCORPIO. 143 



their tail. But if irritated, or menaced by any 

 danger, they fling their claws backward, and 

 carving their pointed tail above the body, so 

 that the sting may protect the head, they re- 

 main prepared either for defence or attack. 

 They feed upon insects, but will sustain a long 

 fast. M. Dufour kept one six months without 

 food, and it did not appear to suffer in the 

 least. The females carry their young upon 

 their back, like the Tarantula spider. 



These formidable insects do not confine them- 

 selves entirely to the stones and dark holes of 

 unfrequented places ; in hot climates they en- 

 ter the houses, and even the beds of the inha- 

 bitants. They vary greatly in size ; those of 

 Europe scarcely exceeding an inch in length 

 without the -tail,,. while those of Africa and In- 

 dia are sometimes five inches long, and large 

 in proportion. The venom of one of these last 

 has been known to kill a dog, and greatly to in- 

 jure a man. Scorpions are viviparous, and pro- 

 duce several young at a time. 



