NATURAL HISTORY. 189 
The Scorpion at the Cape of Good Hope, is from two inches and a half, 
to three inches long, and its colour is a'greenifh brown, {peckled with 
black. It is in fhape exattly like a Cray-fith, except the tail, which is 
more long and flender ; the fting is very painful, and often puts a per- 
fon’s life in danger. : 
The Scorpion on the coak of Guiney, is upwards of three inches in 
jength, and has four legs on each fide, befides two claws armed with 
nippers, which make a very formidable appearance, they being very thick 
and ftrong, and between the nippers and the head there are three glo- 
bous joints: the body confiits of nine joints, and the tail of ten, which 
has a hooked weapon at the end, wherewith ix flings: there are fome 
on this coaft as big as fmall Lobfers, and have the fame fort of claws 
and feet ; but their bodies are covered all over with long hair. Some 
of them have a fmall bladder full of poifon, of half a finger’s breadth, 
at we end of their tails, which they fpirt out when they {trike either 
man or bealt, and the venom produces certain death. 
The coal black Scorpion, is accounted the moft venomous of all, and 
is very common in Perfia. It is of the thicknefs and length of a man’s 
finger, and the body has fome refemblance to an egg but altogether 
it is fhaped like a Cray fifh, only it has a blunter head, and a lefs body. 
Tt has eight legs and two claws, with a long knotted tail, whofe knots 
appear like fo many little bladders,, at the end of which is-a very ve- 
nomous fting. In fome parts of Perfia, the inhabitants dare not fleep 
in ground rooms, for fear of thefe infects. 
“Phe Barbary Scorpion, when full grown, is fix or feven inches long, 
its body is covered with a firm fkin, which is brown, with a mixture 
of yellow, or flame colour. It is of an oval fhape, and has fmall ey eS, 
with eight legs, that are not very ftrong;. each of thefe is compofed of fix 
joints, and terminated by a pair of fharp claws: the legs are pater than 
the body, and are a little hairy: the claws, with nippers, are like thofe 
of Crabs, and are large, and of a black colour, each of which is com- 
poted of four joints: the body confills of feveral joints, divided by den- 
ticulations, as is alfo the tail: the laft joint is terminated by a pointed 
weapon, which is a little crooked, bending a little downwards, as in 
moft of the other kinds. . 
Lianeus takes notice of four Scorpions, the Indian, the African, the 
fialian, and that of Barbary. : 
The Centepee, or Centipes, is fo called, from its great number of feet, 
for which reafon, in fome places, they are called Millepedes, or thou- 
fand feet; but improperly, becaufe that term is always beftowed upon 
‘Hog-lice by naturalifts. In, Latin the name is Scolopendra, and it. is 
very common in many parts of the. world, efpecially between the Tro- 
pics: there are feveral forts of them in the Wef-Indies, one of which 
bits very dangeroufly; they are longer than a man’s finger, and as 
thick as a goote quill, but more flat, and of the colour of rufty iron: 
they have a round head, with two fmail, but very fharp teeth, and the 
whole body is divided into ten or twelve joints, and as many. traniverfe. 
black lines; at the bottom of each of which there are two pretty long 
feet: there are two {mall horns on the head, and the tail is forked; they 
live among rotten wood, and when they are touched, they are ture to 
bite: the wound produces the fame.cile& as the fling of a Scorpion, 
and the fame remedies mult be made ule of to cure it, 
The 
