Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

The natives frequently amuse themselves by a curious kind of warfare, which is created by shutting up a scorpion and a rat together in a close cage, when a terrible contest ensues.  This has been seen to continue sometimes for above an hour: it generally ends in by the death of the scorpion; but in a little time after the rat begins to swell, and, in violent convulsions, soon shares the fate of his vanquished enemy. It is also a favorite diversion of the Moors to surround one of these reptiles with circle of straw, to which fire is applied- after making several attempts to pass the flames, it turns on itself and thus becomes its own executioner.