SCO 
lobfters; and that their ftings are inevitably fatal. 
In Europe, however, they are by no means fo 
large, fo venomous, or fo numerous. The gene- 
ral fize of this animal is from two to three inches ; 
and it's fVing very feldom proves fatal; though it's 
bite, as well as it's prefence, are highly difagree- 
able. Maupertuis, who made feveral experiments 
On the ferpents of Languedoc, found them by no 
means fo invariably dangerous as had till then 
been reprefented. He provoked one of them to 
fting a dog in three places of the belly, where the 
animal was deftitute of hair: in about an hour 
after, the poor creature became greatly fwollen, 
and very fick; he then vomited plentifully; and 
for nearly three hours continued throwing up a 
whitifli liquid. The belly was alwavs much di- 
lated when the animal began to vomit; but this 
operation feemed ahvays to abate the fwelling. 
After the expiration of the above time, the poor 
dog fell into convulfions, bit the ground, dragged 
himfelf along on his fore-feet, and at laft died, 
five hours after being bitten. He was not par- 
tially fwollen round the wound, as is ufual after 
the fting of a wafp or bee; but his whole body 
was inflated, and there appeared only one red 
fpot on thofe parts which had been ftung. 
Some days afterv/ards the fame experiment was 
tried on another dog, and even with more aggra- 
vated cruelty; yet the creature feemed but little 
affefted by the wounds, only howling as he re- 
ceived them, and afterwards appearing as alert and 
healthful as before. So far was this animal from 
being terrified at the experiment, that he chear- 
fully left his own mafter's houfe, to vifit that of 
the philofopher, where he had been more fump- 
tuoufly entertained.- The fame trial was made, 
with frefh Scorpions, on feven other dogs; and 
likewife on three hens ; but not the fmalleft deadly 
fymptom was found to enfue. From hence it 
appears, that many unknown circumftances muft 
confpire to give efficacy to the poifon of the Scor- 
pion: and whether it's food, long-fafting, the fea- 
fon, the nature of the velTels it wounds, or it's 
ftate of maturity, encreafe or retard it's malignity, 
is yet to be afcertained by fucceeding experi- 
ments. 
In the trials made by Maupertuis, he employed 
Scorpions of both fexes, newly caught, and feem- 
ingly adive and vigorous. The fuccefs of this 
experiment may ferve to fliew, that m.any of thofe 
boafted antidotes which are ufed for the cure of 
the Scorpion's fting, owe their celebrity rather to 
the tardinefs of the poifon than their own efficacy : 
they only happened to cure when perhaps the 
fting v/as no ways dangerous; but, in cafes of ac- 
tual malignity, they might probably have proved 
inefFe£lual. 
Plowevcr, the Scorpion of the tropical climates 
being much larger than the European, is unquef- 
tionably much more venomous. Yet Hebigius, 
who refided fome years in the Eaft, afliires us, that 
he was often ftung by the Scorpion, and never 
felt any material inconvenience from the wound : 
a painful tumour generally enfued; which was al- 
ways removed by rubbing the part affefted with a 
piece of iron or ftone till the flefti l^ecame infen- 
fible. Seba, Moore, and Bofmait, neverthelefs, 
give a very different relation of the Scorpion's ma- 
lignity; and affert, that unlefs immediate appli- 
cations take place, the wound becomes fatal. 
Certain it is, that no animals whatever are ap- 
parently mpre irafcible in their natures than Scor- 
SCO 
pions: they will even attempt to fting a cudgel 
when placed near them; and a moufe or a frog, 
though altogether Unoffending, is fure to expe- 
rience the effects of their vengeance. Mauper- 
tuis put three Scorpions and one moufe into a 
veffel, and they foon ftung the little animal in dif-^ 
ferent places. The moufe, thus affauked, ftood 
for fome time on the defenfive; and at laft killed 
them all, one after another. This experiment he 
made in order to know whether the moufe, after 
it had killed, would eat the Scorpions; but the 
little quadruped feemed fully fatisfied with the 
vi(5lory, and even furvived the feverity of the' 
wounds it had received. 
Wolkamer tried the courage of the Scorpion 
againft that of the large fpider, inclofing feveral 
of both kinds in glafs veffels. The fuccefs of 
this combat was very remarkable: the fpider at 
firft ufed every effort to envelope the Scorpion 
in it's web; but the latter refcued itfelf from the 
impending danger by ftinging it's adverfary to 
death. Soon after, it cut off with it's claws all 
the legs of the fpider, and then fucked the inter- 
nal parts at leifure. Wolkamer, however, is of 
opinion, that if the Scorpion's flcin had not been 
fo very hard, the fpider would have obtained the 
vi6tory ; for he had often feen one deftrOy a toad. 
But if the fierce fpirit of thefe reptiles urges 
them to attack other creatures, it renders them 
equally dangerous to their own fpecies. Mau- 
pertuis put one hundred of them into the lame 
glafs ; and they fcarcely came into contact before 
they began to exert all their rage in mutual de- 
ftru6tion: there was nothing to be feen but uni- 
verfal carnage, without any diftin£tion of age or 
fex; fo that, in a very few days, there remained 
only fourteen, which had killed and devoured all 
the reft. 
Their unnatural malignity is ftill more appa- 
rent in their cruelty to their offspring. The above 
philofopher enclofed a female Scorpion, big with 
young, in a glafs veffel; and Ihe was obferved to 
devour them as faft as they were excluded: only 
one of the number efcapcd the general deftruc- 
tion, by taking refuge on the back of it's parent; 
and this foon after revenged the death of it's bre- 
thren by killing the old one in it's turn. 
Such is the unrelenting nature of this reptile, 
which neither the bonds of fociety nor of nature 
can reclaim. Some even affert that, when driven 
to extremity, it will often deftroy itfelf Mau- 
pertuis actually tried the fubfequent experiment. 
A Scorpion, immediately after being caught, was 
placed in a circle of burning charcoal, and thus 
an egrefs totally prevented: the animal ran for a 
ftiort time round the circle, in hopes of efcaping; 
but finding that impradlicable, ftung itfelf on the 
back of the head, and inftantly expired. 
Fortunately for mankind, thej'e creatures are 
thus deftruftive to each other; fince otherwife 
they would multiply in fuch a degree as to ren- 
der fome countries uninhabitable. The male and 
female Scorpions are eafily diftinguiftied ; the 
male being fmaller than the female, and lefs fe- 
tofe. The female brings forth her young alive, 
and perfed: in their kind. Redi, having pur- 
chafed a quantity of ferpents, feieded the females, 
which he put into glafs veffels, where ke kept 
them for feveral days without food. In five 
days time, one of them brought forth thirty-eip-hc 
young, well ftiaped, and of a milk-white colour, 
which changed ev?ry day more and more into a 
dark 
