The youths admitted the evident truth of the assertion. Suddenly, Frank espied almost under his feet a crab about the size of a half-grown chicken, and asked if it was a "Panama beetle."
A SCORPION.
"Not exactly," replied their guide, with a smile. "It is a land-crab, which is very abundant on the Isthmus, and considered an excellent article of food. It is rapacious, like the crab generally, and comes fearlessly into the presence of man in search of a breakfast. These crabs devour the flesh of animals, and will often reduce a horse or ox to a heap of polished bones in a few hours. It will be well for you to tread carefully on the ground in the vicinity, as you never know when you will encounter a scorpion, tarantula, or centipede, or even a venomous snake. Occasionally we find large serpents of the constrictor species, but they are not as dangerous as the smaller reptiles and insects. The tarantula is a sort of hairy spider, quite pretty to look at, but so venomous that his bite causes death in a few hours. The natives have a belief that if a tarantula simply walks over the flesh without biting there is left a poisonous trail which causes rheumatic and other pains, lasting for years or perhaps for a lifetime. Catch one of these spiders and show it to a group of natives, and they will run shrieking away from you."
EXHIBITING A TARANTULA.
The whistle of the locomotive put an end to the conversation, and recalled the young naturalists to the train. Fred observed a native with one foot bandaged across the toes, and asked what was the matter with him.
"Probably jiggers," was the reply.