ANOTHER FABRE FAIRY TALE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17230, 22 December 1923, Page 4

ANOTHER FABRE FAIRY TALE.

ROMANCE OF THE SCORPION. ‘• The Life of a Scorpion,” by J. H. Fabre, is another addition to the great French naturalist’s wonderful insect - library. One of the most curious things about, the scorpion is that, although it has eight eyes, it can only see ahead with the greatest difficulty, and is, in fact, very short-sighted. Like a blind man, he gropes his way, ho guides himself with his hands, that is to say, the pincers, which he carries outstretched, with the fingers open, to sound the space before him. Watch two scorpions wandering in the open air in my rearing-c.ages. A meeting would be. disagreeable, sometimes even dangerous for them. Nevertheless, the one behind always goes ahead as though he did not perceive his neighbour ; but, as soon as he touches the other ever so litle with his pincers, he at once gives a sudden 6tart, a sign of surprise and uneasiness, followed at once bv a retreat and a change of direction. To recognise the irasible one thus overhauled, he h|,d to touch him. THE FRUGAL SCORPION. Scorpions are frugal eaters. They will often go for five or six mouths, sometimes longer, without eating anything at all. When they do eat, they only like live insects, and they take their meal without hurry. The scorpipn placidly grabs the morsel with his two- fingered hands; the pincers bend back, caryy it to the mouth, and then both hold it until it is all •consumed. The insect that is being eaten, full of life, struggles between the mandibles, to the resentment of the eater, who likes to nibble quietly. ' , Then the dart bends down before the mouth ; very geo'tly it pricks the insect one or twice and paralyses it. AVOIDING INDIGESTION. But in chewing the insect for hours there has formed a hard indigestible pellet. Hie intervention of the piricer3 is required to extricate it. One of them seizes the pill with the finger-tips, daintily extracts it from the throat, and drops it to the ground. The meal it finished : It wilt not be repeated for a long time to come. Besides describing the- scorpion, there are some chapters in this book dealing with plant lice.