Poisonous Animals.
AstheViperis Hurtful by Instilling a LiquidPoisoninto the Wound made by its Teeth; so likewise are allVenomousCreatures whatsoever, whether theyBiteorSting, tho’ there be some difference in the Contrivance of theirOrgans, Mischievous after much the sameManner; and mostly for the same goodUseand Purpose, that is, in order to Kill theirPrey.
This will fully appear, by Examining theInstrumentsof Death in several ofThem.
First then, TheSpiderwhich lives upon Flies, Wasps, and the likeInsects, is provided with a hookedForceps, placed just by the Mouth, very sharp and fine; withthishe pierces the Flesh of little Creatures caught in hisWebb, and at the same time infuses aJuiceinto the Puncture, by which means the Animal being Killed, He sucks out the Moisture from the Body, and leaves it a dry husky Carkass.
MrVan Leewenhoek, in his Account ofSpiders, lately publish’d(38), has, together with the other Parts, by the help of his Glasses, describ’d theseWeapons, which He finds to lie couched on each side the Mouth, in a Row of Teeth, till they are raised to do Execution. These Rows of SmallTeethare design’d to hold the Prey, that It may not escape the Force of the Bite. And in the Convex Part, towards the Point of eachClaw, He has delineated a little Aperture orSlit, thro’ which he supposes the Poison issues out at the same time the Wound is made.
ThisSituationandMotionof these Parts, I have several times view’d; but was never able to discern theExitor Opening; which, having a just Deference to the Industry and Application of so Nice an Observer in Things of this Nature, I, at first, imputed to my own Unskilfulness in such Enquiries, knowing myMicroscopeto be very good; till at last, after repeated Trials, I very plainly saw, That nothing dropt out of theClaws, which were always dry while the Spider Bit, but that a short, whiteProbosciswas at the same time thrust out of the Mouth, which instilled aLiquorinto the Wound.
Then I concluded, That MrLeewenhoekhad Delineated theAperturesin theseWeapons, only from theAnalogywhich he thought they must bear to the ViperineFangs, theStingof theScorpion,Bee, &c. And I was confirmed in this Opinion by examining aClawof the greatAmericanSpider, described (tho’ but lamely) byPiso(39), and calledNhamdu; this was given Me by Mr.Pettiver, and being above fifty Times bigger thanthatof the largestEuropæanSpider(40), if there had been any Slit in it, my Glass would no doubt have discover’d it, but yet I found it to be quite Solid.
And indeed the Quantity ofLiquoremitted by our common Spiders when they kill their Prey, is visibly so Great, and the woundingWeaponsso Minute, that they could contain but a very inconsiderable Portion thereof, if it were to be discharged that Way.
To this purpose, I remember Mr.Boylesomewhere tells a Story of a Person blinded by a Spider dropping its Venom into his Eye, which tho’ it can hardly find Credit with some, is however confirmed by whatPisorelates of hisNhamdu,Viz.That in catching it great heed is to be taken, lest its Poison fall into theEye, This causing a total Loss of theSight.
What Mr.Leewenhoekobserves of the Enmity these Creatures bear to one another I have often seen; for if Four, Five, or more be put together into a Glass, they immediately fall toFightingwith all the Fury imaginable;Limbsstruck off are usually thePræludesto the terrible Slaughter, which continues till all are killed, theSurviving Conquerorhimself most commonly Dying of his Wounds.
TheWeaponsof Mischief in theScolopendraare much the same with Those of the Spider, only larger. One of these Creatures I had brought to Me alive out of a Ship which came from theEast-Indies, whereBontius(41)says, Their Bite is so painful, that it makes People almost mad; but it died before I had an opportunity of making Trial of its Poison; however, I very diligently looked upon the Claws(42), and found them to have no moreCavitythan is necessary for the Insertion of their Muscles, nor anyExitor Out-let towards theirApex; these therefore serve only topiercethe Flesh, and the Venom is infused from aProboscisout of the Mouth; tho’ThisI could not very well discern, because the Parts had been kept too long dry before I examined Them.
The Case is much the same withStingingAnimals; of These theScorpionis the Chief, whoseVirusin different Countries is more or less dangerous, according as ’tis exalted by various Degrees ofHeat; thus inAfricaparticularly its Effects are so dreadful, that asJoann. Leo(43)tells Us, the Town ofPescarathere is in a manner left desolate by the Inhabitants in the Summer Time, by Reason of the great Abundance of these Creatures, certain Death following theirSting.
Some of this deadly kind (the same, tho’ not so large withThatin theEast-Indies, of whichSwammerdam(44)has given a very accurate Description and Figure) SrRedihad sent him fromTunis(45); and it beingNovember, irritated them toStingPigeons, Pullets,&c.without any bad Effect at all of theirPoison; but upon the approaching Spring, One of them which had been kept all the Winter, nay, eight Months, without any Food, and the Wound of whose Sting before was harmless, stung to Death two Pigeons successively; but a Third and Fourth wounded in like manner, suffered no Hurt. Yet having let theScorpionrest all Night, He killed another Pigeon the next Morning.
At thePointof theStinghe very often could discern a small drop of whiteLiquor, which when the Wound was made, entered into the Flesh.
AsthisLiquid Venomis either not separated from the Blood into the Cavity of the Sting, during the cold of Winter, or at least the Scorpion wants Strength at that Time to throw it out with Force and Energy.Soeven in the hot Months, after it is exhausted by two or threeAttacks, theStingis no longer hurtful, till the Expence of thisJuiceis recruited by Time.
’Tis very remarkable concerning thisInsect, what an ingenious Gentleman who lived several Years inBarbarytold Me, he had many times tried; That if it be surrounded with a Circle ofBurning Coals, It does, upon the Sense of theHeat, turn it self violently every way to make an Escape; but finding it impossible, and thePainfrom the Fire increasing, it strikes it self Twice or Thrice with theStingon theBack, and immediately dies of the Wounds.
Others may make what Reflections They please on thisSelf-Murder, it is to Me beyond all Dispute sufficient to decide theControversiebetween Writers, whether Poisonous Animals of the sameSpeciescan kill each other. Which is not only confirmed by what we before observed of theSpider, but is likewise true ofVipers; for Dr.Hermanbringing from theIndiesThree of theCobras de Capeloall in one Glass, Two of them were killed in the Voyage byFighting.
As theViperine Venomis theQuintessenceand most active Part of thoseAnimal Juiceswith which the Viper is nourished, so is alsoThatof the Scorpion; for this Insect lives chiefly uponLocusts,&c.and the same Person fromBarbaryinform’d Me, That seeing oftentimesLocustssticking up in the Ground as if they wereSetthere, by looking he found that some Part of them was always eat away, and that these Places were theHolesof Scorpions, who had dragg’d their Prey thither, and fed on it as they had Occasion.
In like manner, as theAxungia Viperinacures the Bite of the Viper,soalso theOleum Scorpionum, or Oil in which Scorpions have been infused, is a present Remedy for the Sting of this Creature.
The Mechanism of the Sting of aBee, Dr.Hookehas very accurately described(46). One may with the naked Eye sometimes see it discharge theVenom; and inthis, by the help of aGlass, I can easily discover a great Number of MinuteSaltsFloating.
And indeed thisApparatusor Contrivance is so universal, that we find even inVegetablessomething Analogous hereunto; for the last mention’d Author(47), has shewn Us, That the pricking Points ofNettlesdo at the same time they pierce the Skin, instil a VenomousJuiceinto the Wound.