125.DO ALL KINDS OF MOSQUITOES CARRY DISEASE?
Have you ever been out camping or walking in a beautiful country spot, when suddenly everything was spoiled by a swarm of mosquitoes? These little creatures cannot only ruin our pleasure, they can make us quite miserable with their stubborn attacks.
For a long time, man considered mosquitoes annoying and troublesome but that was all. It was not until the end of the century that we began to discover they were dangerous, too.
124.CAN SALAMANDERS LIVE THROUGH FIRES?
Have you ever seen a salamander? They’re not very pleasant-looking creatures. Their slender bodies, long tails, and sprawling legs make them look like lizards. And probably because they have a smooth, shiny skin that always looks wet, a legend has arisen about them that they can pass through fire without being harmed.
123.ARE TARANTULAS POISONOUS?
Did you ever dance the tarantella, or see it being danced? Did you know this dance originated with a belief that people had about the tarantula? The tarantula is a large, fierce, hairy spider. In the Middle Ages it
was thought that people bitten by a tarantula became ill with “tarantism.” The patients were supposed to fall into a dull, unhappy state. The only way to stir people out of this state was with music, and they were supposed to dance until they were completely worn out and collapsed from exhaustion. After that they would become well.
