Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-04-05
Curious Facts in Natural History.

which the Creator has fitted up the
teeth and stomachs Of animals for the
work they have to do, that the older
people will be glad to explain the
long words to the young for the sake
of reading it with them:
In the first cavity OF the digestive
apparatus, three kinds of teeth are
found: incisive, canine and molars
The incisive are the front teeth. -
They are wedge-shaped, sharp AZ
their edges. and intended TO cut the
food for digestion. The CANNES
are destined to help the inciSives by
tearing the food Animals which
merely cnt their food have all their
teeth the same length. Whenever
these are useless, they are invariably
suppressed, thus showing US how
strict the Almighty is in his princi-
pies, by only allowing such organs
as can be useful to his creatures.
Once cut and introduced into the
mouth the food can be infinitely di-
vided if necessary. For this purpose,
it is brought under action of the mo-
lars and grinders. When animals
feed ON materials which can easily
be bruised, these teeth always present
cylindrical or prismatical shape,
having uniform base or crown
When, on the contrary, the materials
are tough, such as raw flesh, the mol
lars are so compressed at their edges
10 form only one single row of tuber-
cles, elongated in the shape of cones
more or less protruding, and sharp
at their apex. In this case the mol
lar Of both jaws, instead of meeting
directly, cross one another like the
two blades of scissors in order to en-
able animals to cut more effectually
their food. Mammals, such as dogs,
cats, tigers, ETC., have this kind of
molars.
The incisive teeth of both Jaws, in
almost all animals, and even man, do
not meet end to end as the edges of
pincers do, but the superior incisive
teeth project slightly over the infe-
rior, to enable them not only to cut
better. but to keep them sharp also,
which is effected by the constant fric-
ton which grinds their edges. To
attain their aim it was, however,
necessary that these teeth should be
softer at their edges than nearer the
root, and such is precisely the case,
showing Us once more how careful
~ every emergency has been fore
seen and met.
Illuminating animals which are most
essentially herbivorons, possess yet
more perfect organs Of mastication.
They sieze the grass in lunches by
means of their tongue, which, for
this very purpose, has been made to
reach quite o distance, and bring it
into their mouth. Grass, by its great
iexibility, is very hard to cut, and
apt to slip between the teeth. In
order to obviate this defect, row of
horny plates, elastic enough to stand
the requisite pressure, is substituted
in place of upper front teeth, thus
enabling the animal to tear at once.
and very easily, a whole bunch Of
grass.
Birds being more especially created
TO live and moye rapidly in the air,
their bead is provided with beak
we'll concerned 10 this condition.
Beaks are SO nicely organized as SUBJ
stitutes for teeth, that in every fam
lily they undergo modification accord
ing TO the kind of food that the birds
feed upon. Thus among the carniv-
erous birds, such as the eagle or
hawk, the beak is generally hooked,
the superior mandible strongly over
tapping the inferior and terminating
in a sharp point to tear the flesh of
the Victims which they swallow in
pieces without chewing them. This
disadvantage is, however, obviated'
by the greater digestive power of
their stomach. Those carniverous
birds that live on dead flesh have a
less hooked beak. Their food being
less tough they can moro easily cut
it in pieces. Parrots, although living
on fruits and grain, have, however,
a hooked beak like birds of prey, but
this is because they must use it for
climbing.
Providence has so carefully placed
in the instinct of all the animals the
means which enable them to get their
natural food, that some birds, like
the titmouse, whose beak is not large
enough to break the she'll of the seed,
will hold it with surprising skill in
their little feet, and by dint of blows
struck with their beak, pierce hole
and draw the contents within by
means Of their tongue. These charm
ing little birds can even find the
weakest part of the she'll of nut.
Serpents, being deprived of limbs
to help them in dividing their food,
must necessarily swallow it whole.
Small species, it is true, live only on
insects, but larger ones swallow ami
mails often larger than themselves.
1t is just on this account that these
reptiles have received the remarka-
BILE faculties which compensate this
absence of limbs. When the prey is
too big to enter easily the mouth of
the serpent, he seizes it by one of
the ends, and as his teeth, venomous
or not, are all arched backwards, he
can easily hold on to it. The size of
his mouth being however too small
for it, he was provided with new
modification of that organ, which
enables him to dilate il astonishingIy.
For this, the two branches Of the in
ferior jaws, instead of being articula-
ted and fastened to tho chin, are only
united to it by transversal and very
elastic Iigament capable of lengthen-
ing considerably. By this contriv-
ance the serpent's mouth is suscepti-
bic of great expansion. The pharynx
and esophagus being provided With
like modification, the animal can
swallow bodies much larger than
himself. When the prey is too large