As the Viper is Hurtful by Instilling a Liquid Poison into the Wound made by its Teeth; so likewise are all Venomous Creatures whatsoever, whether they Bite or Sting, tho’ there be some difference in the Contrivance of their Organs, Mischievous after much the same Manner; and mostly for the same good Use and Purpose, that is, in order to Kill their Prey.
This will fully appear, by Examining the Instruments of Death in several of Them.
First then, The Spider which lives upon Flies, Wasps, and the like Insects, is provided with a hooked Forceps, placed just by the Mouth, very sharp and fine; with this he pierces the Flesh of little Creatures caught in his Webb, and at the same time infuses a Juice into the Puncture, by which means the Animal being Killed, He sucks out the Moisture from the Body, and leaves it a dry husky Carkass.
Mr Van Leewenhoek, in his Account of Spiders, lately publish’d (38), has, together with the other Parts, by the help of his Glasses, describ’d these Weapons, 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 Small Teeth are 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 each Claw, He has delineated a little Aperture or Slit, thro’ which he supposes the Poison issues out at the same time the Wound is made.
This Situation and Motion of these Parts, I have several times view’d; but was never able to discern the Exit or 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 my Microscope to be very good; till at last, after repeated Trials, I very plainly saw, That nothing dropt out of the Claws, which were always dry while the Spider Bit, but that a short, white Proboscis was at the same time thrust out of the Mouth, which instilled a Liquor into the Wound.
Then I concluded, That Mr Leewenhoek had Delineated the Apertures in these Weapons, only from the Analogy which he thought they must bear to the Viperine Fangs, the Sting of the Scorpion, Bee, &c. And I was confirmed in this Opinion by examining a Claw of the great American Spider, described (tho’ but lamely) by Piso (39), and called Nhamdu; this was given Me by Mr. Pettiver, and being above fifty Times bigger than that of the largest Europæan Spider (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 of Liquor emitted by our common Spiders when they kill their Prey, is visibly so Great, and the wounding Weapons so 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. Boyle somewhere 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 what Piso relates of his Nhamdu, Viz. That in catching it great heed is to be taken, lest its Poison fall into the Eye, This causing a total Loss of the Sight.
What Mr. Leewenhoek observes 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 to Fighting with all the Fury imaginable; Limbs struck off are usually the Præludes to the terrible Slaughter, which continues till all are killed, the Surviving Conqueror himself most commonly Dying of his Wounds.
The Weapons of Mischief in the Scolopendra are 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 the East-Indies, where Bontius (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 more Cavity than is necessary for the Insertion of their Muscles, nor any Exit or Out-let towards their Apex; these therefore serve only to pierce the Flesh, and the Venom is infused from a Proboscis out of the Mouth; tho’ This I could not very well discern, because the Parts had been kept too long dry before I examined Them.
The Case is much the same with Stinging Animals; of These the Scorpion is the Chief, whose Virus in different Countries is more or less dangerous, according as ’tis exalted by various Degrees of Heat; thus in Africa particularly its Effects are so dreadful, that as Joann. Leo (43) tells Us, the Town of Pescara there 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 their Sting.
Some of this deadly kind (the same, tho’ not so large with That in the East-Indies, of which Swammerdam (44) has given a very accurate Description and Figure) Sr Redi had sent him from Tunis (45); and it being November, irritated them to Sting Pigeons, Pullets, &c. without any bad Effect at all of their Poison; 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 the Scorpion rest all Night, He killed another Pigeon the next Morning.
At the Point of the Sting he very often could discern a small drop of white Liquor, which when the Wound was made, entered into the Flesh.
As this Liquid Venom is 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. So even in the hot Months, after it is exhausted by two or three Attacks, the Sting is no longer hurtful, till the Expence of this Juice is recruited by Time.
’Tis very remarkable concerning this Insect, what an ingenious Gentleman who lived several Years in Barbary told Me, he had many times tried; That if it be surrounded with a Circle of Burning Coals, It does, upon the Sense of the Heat, turn it self violently every way to make an Escape; but finding it impossible, and the Pain from the Fire increasing, it strikes it self Twice or Thrice with the Sting on the Back, and immediately dies of the Wounds.
Others may make what Reflections They please on this Self-Murder, it is to Me beyond all Dispute sufficient to decide the Controversie between Writers, whether Poisonous Animals of the same Species can kill each other. Which is not only confirmed by what we before observed of the Spider, but is likewise true of Vipers; for Dr. Herman bringing from the Indies Three of the Cobras de Capelo all in one Glass, Two of them were killed in the Voyage by Fighting.
As the Viperine Venom is the Quintessence and most active Part of those Animal Juices with which the Viper is nourished, so is also That of the Scorpion; for this Insect lives chiefly upon Locusts, &c. and the same Person from Barbary inform’d Me, That seeing oftentimes Locusts sticking up in the Ground as if they were Set there, by looking he found that some Part of them was always eat away, and that these Places were the Holes of Scorpions, who had dragg’d their Prey thither, and fed on it as they had Occasion.
In like manner, as the Axungia Viperina cures the Bite of the Viper, so also the Oleum 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 a Bee, Dr. Hooke has very accurately described (46). One may with the naked Eye sometimes see it discharge the Venom; and in this, by the help of a Glass, I can easily discover a great Number of Minute Salts Floating.
And indeed this Apparatus or Contrivance is so universal, that we find even in Vegetables something Analogous hereunto; for the last mention’d Author (47), has shewn Us, That the pricking Points of Nettles do at the same time they pierce the Skin, instil a Venomous Juice into the Wound.