, 1875-05-15
SPARKS OF SCIENCE.


SPARKS OF SCIENCE.
QUEEN FISHES.
One Of tie Most interesting inmates Of tho
aquarium ia tho sttckieback, little FISH that it,
babits both fresh and salt waters. It la dlrnin-
utiyo creature. Bel1om or reycr exceeding *
Of lncbcn In length but Il makes tip in beauty
and vivacity what It lacks 10 dirnuns!ors. 1ta
pretty colors are remarkably c!,angofuI, fading
and Frightening AZ tho flah plays In and ont
among tic depths and thallors, or shifting
| through al tho varying hi,ades of lito 40 It's
pulses t1irob with cxcitemcut wt,on engaged In
sport OF III combat ills an exceedingly testy
and cholsue iittle fellow, aud Is rerpo.nally In
fight with ono Of iss species. Tho larger In
diriduals feed upon tho rn,A':,.r ones and mako
tsrr;bIs laroo Of tbs yonng FRY. hence there in
an endloas fertnes't in Their communities, With
incessAat savagc. derastA!iou, al,d icsth. In
oil tAa coru,no.on, involving tl.o aetin,. af tho
mont desperate PASSIONS. the little s!lcklehtska
dinpiay ti5ir Ncetnes1. K,a.s. and mobile cotor-
In. To tia bcst advantage.
Ent their most curious manenverins Is c1-
fibited at tho tree3ing xoason, 1.lon tho funny
litlo fnnica actually t.to tn ncst-buildiuS.
Then arc they animated will line ardor In col
lactinu bits Of straw or Htc!, with which 10 lay
| the foundations of tl,n;r do,nici!e in a,no,tg tAe
items and branches OF wAter- -rtan:E. tho light
+, building n,a.Hrials Accumulated are cen1ontett
! toEetEo. By T. ..scnus osudstion frun1 their own
bodiss which, SPIN, oslt N tha form OF thfexH,
In 1oyeu IN End aral,tl the strawH enl stfckB in
every conceivable aterfian. The thrcnd Ia light
in fiue AMI fins and piisy II, qIaffty. ter tie
! bottom OF the nest is vol laid. tie bfdes aso
1iutlt about It, md when n l. done 1t In no bigger
than { small l!azsl-nut. let this pynsy dwell
! ling Is con'molious enough 10 hold a multitude
| uf rEgs not larger than rt;rtn-s.elp.
l TEA Y1niG Hffnl.frsttri. nj httht n.,H
anil moi only builds :ho ttatite for aa ofTH1ring
entirely nnAi::ed, pH. aftcs }:;s Hpon.c has de-
POSTED 'ee es.s In it. lie hatcher orer thu :voio
With tbs u:tnuat Aol:eisntt. And it Ii necessary
fer no lnuFac1 III all inc wurld oi w:!eta is quito
60 tempting 10 Htickiebact us thu ovz that
some otAer sticklrtack IA vjsiiantly Guarding.
Tho tilrce-.pined ntickish.c. fijnsicrosieus
| AMI brackEh waters OF Europe. II in 10 nbnn-
dan& III Eo1te p.ttn Of Enyfant. - to be nsod for
1Ganure. Although good ehsirs. t:p 'isll 10 not
HotnhturH expressed for commercial purposco.
When rrn.. Agassti: WEI on llis la.t expedition
to South America, hs d!.cnrnrcl III the Southern
seaa alsccies Of aat belonging to tho family
Antennarias, that nal The add l.abit Of nest
building. lts et.3o OF architecture vAs very
| quaint, consisting simply or nnlcsso about tue
| Ska Of cocoa7snt, ena made up Of small
branches aud lcarea Of scaweed, bound together
bv ins.conx cards, IeHenbtsn. cotton threads.
thonsa1ds Of cgge, liIe murssEd-secdr. Prof.
Agassz retuovtki s9ue Of the eGgs from the neas,
placin. thsm In fresh Eea-rater. The following
n,oa,,inE dozea q ,noro at t.'e tslss . sefe
life. colored drawing Wax n,sao Of them, but
! the youug1tngs unfortunately patiA!,cd before
thn Professor could ueterldine tbs species NTH
| certalhty.
plHE.sEEDs FOR FOOD.
The ste1s u It's East North American npecies
OF pine ara never Thought Of ~ ca ar:iclo Of diet
except for tho squirrels mil birds that feed upon
them IN winter. but IN somo foreign eountriea
and on The Pacific coast they grow 10 uucl aize
aud ars OF such pleasant flavor tia: they arc
much eateotnod by the common people tor thoir
nulrImout. Ia Issly, and III other lende along
tbs Mediterranean, tho Stono Tino (Pinus
Pit.en) a broad, umbrea-.!lsped tree. bca:s
immense cones containing Feeds that nrs four
yea1s in coming to maturity. When ripe. these
naeds arc largo, abound in fixed oil, aud have q
fresh, Bmcst tssto like almonds. They arc used
for the dessert, 1iEs nuts Of any Fort, and arc
also employed in nskIng vagous kinds Of con-
fec.oucry. nnl IL q variety Of dishes for tho
table. Al thpy very soon become rancid, their
| consumption is afnloss uholly conflned to tho
countries Nhero they arc produced. In Ifsb0n
they arc strung on threads iiza beads. and worn
aa Ritslle about tie w1tst.
J
that grows in 5stEer1aua 2ud thoccslttal parts O.:
| Europe. And In tho Soutl, Of Siberia, sicld4 ed-
bio seeds that ale used III se,na place8 - food
aid III others ~ MI article o; luxury. Y1,o sholt
Of theso soet}a 1t veFJ hatd, aud extracting tie
ternel Is d fest Of xon'e difficulty. It In said to
furnish an Advancement for long uinter ovaningy
einilsr TO that fo,!nd iD cFnc&fng hickorv-nut*.
III Siberia thu fruit Is 1o much priced that uob!a
tlees are otten cnt down iu order to ses:ltre II.
The gcotlH OF thn tnbE7cated-lcayetl giue OF
Chill CAraaroria i,ntricata) fosm an im{lossan:
lrticlc Of food among tic Indiana. They n:o not
unlike ths chestnut, and Irs caten raw, boi!tti
| or roasted. For winter nae thoy are buried III
pits, whore thov keep loug titne. a single conc
oftho .irnncdria something's contains frou, 600 to
| 300 seeds. uttd d rtngis tres will Lear nt ouco
from twenty 10 Thirty OF The great eones spir~
fruit, which u tuaportel from the CoEdl!ersB to
the nleat aouthern distrlcts OF Chill. a kpocies
Of Australian pine, called bunya-buuys, bcnra
fruit that is largely eaten by tho natyeH. Its
NTH i aproporttooato diameter. Tia seetls nrs
g: inches long by an iuch broad, and .sheu per-
fcctty rpo have tue favor Of roasted chestnuts.
| The seeds Of the I'laus Modop,+gtlts. nt tho r.
Rocky Mountaiua, and Of the p. La1'niana Of
Catfotnia,-sll magnificent apecieA,-Are uEed -
food BY hunters aud Indians, aud arc either
| roasted or pounded into coatEo cakes. In Chlua
| and japan the ends Of HdltslnirtA aaigHlifotia,
called glnsko.nuty, A1o universally eatan.
! HABITS OF ooATsucKERs.
| A distinguishing foa:nre Of tho Caprimuigi-
nee, or Eoxtsuclsers, IL tho eomh-liko nppoudsgs
to tho middle c!GH. The feet Of these Girls xr0
70 short ~ to forbid perchins In the ,tsual way,
tl.at is With tho tocn ulaspiuG tho branch. and
the body sitting above 1t crosswiss. Tho Whip.
poorwi1l, niaht-hAHl. md other go4tsurxesu.
will always beaeeu sitting lengthviso Oh bouga.
or crouchod % the ground. but the middle toe
| - fuf< af.t 1{nr3,3