Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-11-08
Little Warriors.
BY OLIVE THORNE.

BY OLIVE THoRNE.
Perhaps you think such tiny creatures
as insects are very helpless, and you
would laugh at the idea that one of them
could shoot guns at you.
But you needn't laugh, for it is true.
And a funny little fellow he is, too: He
is beetle, and is called-for his shoot
ing propens1ties-th Bombardier Bee
tie.
Though he makes a loud explosion,
and a blue smoke, exactly like tiny
gun he don't send out balls, or even
shot, but bad smelling fluid, that
causes burning feeling where it hits,
and undoubtedly is very severe to his
small enemies. At any rate it drives
them away.
Most of these little creatures have
weapons to defend themselves against
their insect enemies, and some have
weapons strong enough to protect them
from boys, and even men.
The wasp and hornet are perfectly
safe, with their powerful stings, you
know. And our little atom of bug
has sting that will make a man lose
his senses in five minutes, and make
him so i'll as nearly to kill him.
Would you like to see an insect that
carries double whip, and lashes it fu-
riously around to keep off flies and
other troublesome creatures You
have only to catch a puss-moth mo re-
lation to your pussy cat) and you'll
see the little whipper.
It is really wonderful what brave lit
tie warriors these tiny items are.
l. I,
tate to attack an elephant if he thinks
his rights are trampled upon. And, by
the way, an army of ants can kill large
animals, even men, if their hands are
tied so they can't defend themselves.
The little warriors in the spider fam
lily are very spirited. They will show
fight in an instant If man lnterferes
with their comfort.
Not all these little creatures are fight
ers, however; there are several other
ways of protecting themselves. One
way is that taken by children who have
done something naughty, and don't
want to be found QUITO hide. Some
of these hiders cover themselves with
mud or sand, and when they keep still
they look like tiny humps of dirt. But
the oldest of the hiding sort is bug
that sometimes gets into houses.
If you want to know its name, it is
ReduUjuS Per8o7odtats, and he isn't
half an inch long either. Amt you
glad your name isn't three times as
long as you are?
But I didn't tell you how he hides.
He covers himself with dust of rooms,
particles of carpet wool, and tiny
threads Of cotton and silk, till he looks
like walking dust heap, or an awful
ugly spider; but if he keeps still you
can scarcely see him.
Another, tiny fly, with a long
name, which ] know you'll never re
member, SO I'll leave it in the grown-Up
books, hides himself under high pile
of the SKINS and down of the smaller
insects he eats. As ifyou should cover
yourself with sheep-skins after eating
mutton. IF you take off this odd coat,
can't get insects to kill, he will dress
himself in the first thing that presents,
either silk or paper. He isn't particu-
lar, if it's only good thick coat.
You know how men will run away
from helpless little animal no bigger
than your kitten, called a skunk, be-
cause of an unpleasant fashion he has
of emptying perfume bags on them.
Well, very little insects also have scent
bags probably quite as offensive to their
enemies. Some beautiful lace-winged
flies smell so horrible that even natu-
ralists, who handle bugs and spiders
every day, hate to touch them.
There are a great many insects who
are not warriors, and who don't hide,
aud have no scent bags to shootat one
Don't think they are defenseless, how
ever; the very tiniest of them has some
way TO take care of himself
Many protect themselves by taking
some peculiar position that makes them
look like stick or stone.
One caterpillar, that lives on trees, If
disturbed, viii hold on by his two hind
legs, and stick up the rest of his body
in such way that he looks exactly
like twig One gardener that read
of, attempted to pick off what he
thought was dead twig, but his cat
erplIarship having no desire to be
picked off, came to life in the garden
er's hand, and frightened him so that
he dropped it in horror.
One little beetle will stiffen out as if
dead, his legs as stiff as iron-ware. He
thus escapes being eaten by bird, who
don't eat dead bugs. These bugs and
spiders who pretend to be dead, or
''play possu1n, will keep up the play
till the last breath. They may be torn
to pieces, limb by limb, or burned by a
slow fire, but not sign or culver
will they give. Poor little things
they seen to know that it is their only
hope of escape.
One little creature, when frightened,
rolls himself into ball. He happens
to make pretty ball, for he is black
and shiny, and has white stripes.
| read story of girl who was once
walking IN a garden, where she CHANGED
to disturb family of these bugs. Of
course they all became balls at once.
The girl noticed them, and supposing
they were beads of an unusually pretty
kind, she gathered a handful of them.
carried them home, and proceeded TO
string them. Naturally the bugs OBJ
lected to being strung, and turned into
bugs again in her hands. Probably
she screamed and dropped them all on
the floor at any rate she never strung
any live beads again. Little COy32OyGI
Franks Day OF Mischief.
Bless my heart !" cried Aunt Susan
as Frank Dee appeared at the gate
leading the little white cow, and cry
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