In that same Town, another Soldier, meeting an Elephant and his Keeper, would not give way to them: Whereupon the Keeper complained to the Elephant of the Affront, who some days after, standing on the River Mangata, which runs through the Town, and seeing that sturdy Soldier stand idle, ran hastily towards him, lifted him upon his Trunk, and plunged him several Times in the River; after which, he drew him out, and left him where he found him. Ibid.
XXII. The Scorpion is one of the Inhabitants of the World in Miniature; though a little Insect, yet is reckoned to be one of the chiefest among stinging Animals, whose Poison in different Regions is less or more dangerous, as it is exalted by various Degrees of Heat. It has eight Legs, and two large Claws, resembling those of a Lobster, and a Body like a Crab or Craw-fish: They are of various Colours, as red, white, yellow, black: They differ also in their Size and Kinds, as the marine, terrestrial, reptile, winged, hurtful and innocent.
Some are of the Bigness and Length of a Man’s Finger, not much longer than a Beetle or a black Fly: Those known to us are of a brown Colour, the Back composed of Joints resembling those of a Crab, but more crustaceous.
Authors differ about the Tail, whether it be knotty or not; but all agree, that it is furnished with a terrible Sting, worse than the knotted Whip. Many Places produce Scorpions of the minute Sort, not much exceeding the Length of a large Bean.
Others are more bulky, as those at Jerusalem, and all about Syria, not unlike our little fluvial Crabs for Bigness, which they call Gambari.
In the East-Indies are large Scorpions of the winged Kind; so in Egypt, where it is reported they are armed with two Stings[[186]].
[186]. Conradus Gesner in Verbum, p. 4.
It is observable, these large Scorpions taking their Flight against the Wind, sometimes drop down, and so are taken by the Country People, and perhaps sent to scorpionize other Kingdoms.
The Sea-scorpion is a flying Animal, and of a red Colour, whose Flesh is good, and much better than what they call Scorpœna, that affects muddy Water and moorish Habitations.
There is a vast Spread of these venemous Animals over the World, both of the winged and creeping Kind, in the Eastern and Southern Climates. Some of them move with Tails somewhat erected, others trailing on the ground; and are thought to be more dangerous than the former: The Coal-black Scorpion is accounted the most hurtful; ’tis said, that in many Places in Persia, the Inhabitants dare not sleep in Ground-rooms, for fear of these little plaguy Creatures, the most terrible of all Night-walkers: Of which more elsewhere.