the mexican scorpion enjoys an evil repute, which, from personal observation, i consider greatly exaggerated. stewart edward white was so obliging as to afford me excellent opportunity of judging, in the course of a recent hunting trip which we took together in a hot and remote mexican desert. mr. white, in the process of disrobing, sat down upon a brown scorpion, an inch and a half long. the scorpion punctured mr. white twice. i noted his symptoms. they were chiefly surprise and indignation. within half an hour he was asleep, and on the following day he was riding a mule. the scorpion, however, died.

with respect to the centipede, satisfactory data are difficult to obtain. some scientists whose observations are worthy of note state that the legs of this curious creature secrete a poison, and that their trail over human flesh is marked by a sort of rash, sometimes followed by fever. as showing that this is not an invariable phenomenon, i may set the circumstantial account given me by captain robert kemp wright, who, at his place at pitch lake, trinidad, saw a good-sized centipede crawl across the forehead of his sleeping son. not daring to make a move, as the centipede is supposed to strike very swiftly, captain wright was compelled to stand still while it slowly made its way to the pillow and thence to the floor, where it was killed. the boy, who had neither waked nor moved, showed absolutely no trace of the reptile's course.