118 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE TEXAS ACADEMY OE SCIENCE. 
the structure of the valley of the Amazon; his explorations of the coast 
and reefs north of Rio to the mouth of the great river; and his re¬ 
searches relative to the prehistoric and native races of the country. 
Moreover, he placed scientific work in Brazil upon a high plane, and 
gave an impetus to honest, thorough investigation, which is even yet 
felt. 
Professor Hartt’s publications number over forty titles, many being in 
the Portuguese language. 
BY W. W. NORMAN. 
The Poison of Centipedes (Scolopendra morsitans). 
During the spring of 1896 four large centipedes, varying in size from 
six to seven and one-lialf inches in length, were brought into the labor¬ 
atory. 
J 
As these animals are much dreaded by the people, it was the desire 
of the writer to determine by experiment the effectiveness of the bite. 
Experiments: 
1. An adult mouse was put into a glass cylinder with the centi¬ 
pede, and the two animals brought together by slightly inclining the jar. 
During the fifteen minutes in which they were together the mouse was 
caught a few times by the hindmost pair of legs. (The last pair of legs 
are decidedly curved, and serve very well as forceps for holding the vic¬ 
tim.) Once the mouse was held fast and bitten by means of the fangs 
(which are the modified first pair of appendages of the trunk). The 
mouse was then put into its cage. This was at 10 o’clock in the morn¬ 
ing. It remained active during the day, hut toward night it became 
quiet, assuming a humped position. Next morning it was dead. 
2. A mouse one-half to two-thirds grown was bitten twice, the second 
bite following the first within a few seconds. The mouse began at once 
to die; humped itself, trembled, gasped for breath, and fell over dead. 
3. An adult mouse was held into the jar containing the centipede by 
means of a string fastened to its tail. The mouse died the following 
night from the effects of the bite. 
4. Two ground-snakes, each about seven inches long, were bitten by 
the same centipede that was used for the above experiments. The bite, 
was prolonged, and the fangs inserted anew several times. The snakes 
continued to live for several days without suffering any apparent evil 
effects. Their death may have been due to want of proper care. 
5. An adult mouse was bitten by a second centipede, but it escaped at 
the first touch of the fangs. It was doubtful whether any poison en¬ 
tered the mouse. It did not suffer any from the bite. 
