408 
SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
they strove ; at length the strokes of the Scor- 
pion's tail became convulsed and less frequent, 
until, it gradually sank under the effect of its 
antagonist's fatal breath, and died first. The 
victor, although left alone in the field, seemed 
to have suffered considerably in the affray, and 
crawled away, as if to die in obscurity. 
Another of these conflicts- was between a Li- 
zard and a Scorpion. In this the latter, also, 
was vanquished. The Lizard, having received 
one or two severe stings from the Scorpion, 
(which was a very large one) seemed to become 
infuriated, and rushing upon its enemy, inge- 
niously seized it in its mouth, between the 
head and tail, but so that the tail, being curled 
back, could not reach its head or body. It 
then commenced spinning round and round 
with great rapidity, and finally succeeded in se- 
vering the tail from the body, and thus killed it. 
The last engagement was between a large 
black Hornet and a Tarantula. This lasted for 
several minutes, and, to my great amazement, 
the former was signally victorious, and suc- 
ceeded in so stinging the Tarantula, that he 
died from the wounds. The Hornet was so 
little hurt, as to be able to fly away exultingly. 
We close this chapter with a short notice of 
the Toads and Frogs of Africa — a tribe nearly 
as numerous, and as noisy, as the Kaffirs. Few 
