IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 185 
A CURIOUS DOOR. 
Did you ever see a door in the shape of a half-moon ? If you 
live in the tropics, you've probably seen hundreds of them, and 
have no desire to make a call on the spiteful little personage who 
lives there, and who is called a Scorpion. 
The two things he specially dislikes, are light and confusion ; 
so, if he is disturbed in his snug, dark house, away down under the 
ground, he comes out with a vicious snap of the jaws. And if any 
one is brave enough to touch such a fierce little monster, he is very 
glad to let him go in a few seconds, — for he stings terribly. 
It isn't very easy to catch him, though, for he can run almost 
like a flash of light, and he will slip into the first hole, or under the 
first log or pile of leaves he comes to. So fond is he of hiding 
himself from the light, that he will slip in between bed-clothes, into 
boots, or gloves, or, in fact, into any snug, dark place he can find. 
So nicely will he cuddle himself down, that very likely you 
wouldn't see him till you put your foot into the shoe, or your hand 
into the glove. Then you would bring it out quick enough, I can 
tell you. 
People who live in hot countries get to be very careful to look 
for this pugnacious little fellow, — shaking out the bed-clothes, turn- 
ing over the mattress, and so forth, to be sure not to have so un- 
comfortable a bed-fellow as Mr. Scorpion is. 
When they get too troublesome, men go on a hunt for them. 
They provide themselves with water and some weapon. When 
they come to one of the curious half-moon doors, they just pour a 
little water in. Now, the Scorpion hates water nearly as much as 
he does sunlight ; so, of course, he flies out in a rage, snapping his 
jaws, and whisking his tail, ready for a fight. The hunter then 
sticks a spade into the ground, so that he can't get back into his 
house, and soon puts an end to him. 
There's another curious custom of his. So fierce and wild is 
his spirit, that when he finds himself trapped, when he can't get 
away from the hated sunlight, he refuses to live, and deliberately 
commits suicide. This seems hard to believe ; but one man who 
