Page:Pictures of life in Mexico Vol 1.djvu/222

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 Alacranes, or spider-scorpions.—Scorpion-hunters.—Indian costume.—Indian huts and villages.—Woman stung by alacranes.—Contrast of burial-places.—Masses for the wealthy.—Contemptuous treatment of the poor.—An Indian funeral.—An unpopular priest.—Dead-house of the capital.—Melancholy street scenes.—Grief of a mother and daughters.—Father Miguel in the Morgue.

tierra caliente, or hot region of Mexico, is infested with horrible reptiles called alacranes, which in appearance resemble both the scorpion and the spider. These creatures have tails two inches long, armed with a sting, and bodies equaling in size those of the largest spiders; they swarm among old houses and neighbourhoods; and their sting is sure to produce dangerous illness, perhaps death—especially to the delicate and young. In the early season of the year, the inhabitants surround their beds with a peculiar kind of net-work, for protection against scorpions