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SCORPIONS.
young birds. It climbs with agility, and will spring from one branch of a tree to the other, like a squirrel. The flesh is said to be excellent, rivalling in delicacy that of a chicken. It is eaten in the French islands as a great luxury; but from its outward appearance, few strangers would be led to partake of it, unless deceived by its form of cookery.* The wood-slave is about the same size as the common tree-lizard, but with a shorter tail. The bite is said to be extremely venemous, as also the wound inflicted by its sharp claw, which ends in a kind of nipper, and with which it adheres to the part with such tenacity, that no power but that of a knife will extricate it. In colour it approaches a toad ; its haunts are amid old timber or old dwellings, from whence it attains its name of wood-slave. Scorpions are another formidable foe. They are well equipped for battle, having eight legs, besides two shorter ones fixed on the fore-part of the head, and answering for hands, with which they hold their prey ; eight eyes, three upon each side of the head, and two on the back ; two feelers, and a long tail, terminated by a curved sting, underneath which are two instruments resembling a comb. The poison is contained in a small reservoir, and is evacuated through two oblong orifices at the top of the sting, at the moment of the wound being given. The effects are extremely painful, producing a burning heat, which, if not alleviated, produces fever. If encaged, and it can discover no means of escape, the scorpion stings itself to death, rather than remain in captivity. The body of the parent scorpion becomes the nest of the young ones, which remain sticking and feeding upon their mother until she dies, and all nurture is absorbed, when they fall off and shift for themselves ; fifty of these * The guana has the power of fascinating small birds &c. in the same manner as the anaconda, or rattle-snake, does. When bent upon such deeds, it stretches itself baskingly in the sun, and darts out its long red tongue ; the birds, attracted by the sight, hover round, apparently irresistibly approaching the creature's mouth, until at length, when drawn within a convenient distance, the guana makes a sudden start, and with one effort swallows the poor bird.