, 1875-05-22
SPARKS OF SCIENCE.



Thu rosld ID inhabited 10 II. QnEterfsges. tho
eminent French na.ura'inL for + knowledge Of
the life history Of tho 7+rhxio siposfs properly
caltsd tho hhip-wprm. This obstructive 1ittle
animal tnAkos itn home in submerged wool,
which It pestorates with tnhniar gallnrics, rtere
It spends ttn lfo alternately tunnollng and foed-
ing On tho tino Esspioss or ehips II mAaes. It
aboundb in tho seas, and its rnfasea arc 30 OK.
tcnsire and 80 rapidly effected tllat MI aub-
tnhrIno AtruesnreA OF wood are fiablo to ho rid
d!cd by II unlcaa carefully projected againat IT.
operations. PIansa and tnbors Of bridges,
piora and ships, tllht appear outNardy whole
and perfect, mil! ofton on examination
prom to DO Internally snsrowcd in avery
direction anA ready to crumblo In plccos
nndet tha eliehtest weight. a piece Of
dcal has besn fonnd completely riadlol In
forty days after tth imncraoa. N. Quatertages
r41atcn that i boat rasaed fonr months after it
had toundcred on tho cont near Port st. schas
tian vas SO norm.caten that Ii was ultet1y uso-
| tess.
The cu,io1. part q: tre Iere1o's tunnaling IL,
that. although its EaIlerieH may perforate trnry
part OF tho wood anil destroy liz ontire suta.ancs,
| they nayor communicates. somo inatlnc! informs
| tho littlo miner wien 1t has reached q fntron
Followed by another individual, aud 1t ins:ant|y
changes i!b courAo and literally worms liz way in
nav direction. It generally inoscs NTH the
| grain ubless 1t meets With soue obstruction.
| Early IN the cightcnath century tho Te1odo at
tackled tho dyhes OF Holland and for time threat
cncd to annihllate the country By consuming tbs
pilca supporting tho sea va!lr. and thus lettins
tho ocean roll In upon tho land. 4 vast sun
Of money mas expended hefofa tho imminent
danger was arrested. Ent protection aga,nat
the Tesedo haa been found in ron
,+trt 10
inss - il rendered safe on bc-
! Ing imnrcrnated with oxide Of frnn, Copper
sllcathing Ia employed to protect slips, o. u,h
timber in driven full OF short. btoal.hcadcd
which IN to tho Terodo like an ar7nor Of mail.
1ta is.tlo tooth nerer atsamptH to penetrate ma
tsrinl 10 spoiled for it, taste.
Although Tic Teredo in called worm It 10
really acep1atoue nolfllBc. and wears FROM its
birth q li!tlo bivn1~o ehall. But in the psogresa
from infancy to maturity 1t unaorgoos singular
tEanefor,natione. 1t IL Matched from Bmhil,
round, yeiowieh-sfeen cgg, aud is At first naked
tile ella, after which It swims about for forty
eight hours At the cud Of this time tho ella
dAappcAr. and tho young Tosedo anks to the
bottom. Hers In tho cous.c Of five and q hal!
davs. 1t develops q eholl that almost entirely
long, slender foot, that projects far
besond thu .,e'i, and BY which It can propel it,
self, At this stage It il tho szo Of : Ernill Of
t aud can swim freely again, or walk hy means Of
its foot. Now it hurts about for ho.ne lxesl
or hoating rood that ia to afford it food aud
shelter. that ID 10 be at onca It's cast!a and Its
lasdtr.
When Il has found the material necessary TO
It's existence, it creops along the burfsce Of tho
wood until It discovers part sufficiently soft
aud norous, wlen it begins boring gallery 'or
enough to coutafn it. tho llttle round molluso
rapidly etfccts uactamorphosfa. 1t covers itrcff
wstl, slttny coat that At the end Of thrco days
lccoraes quite Eolttl. 4 new and larger shell il
next aaereted. after which Tho Terclo changes
it's sphcrold form for ona elongated like a worm.
II requires about three neoka for this singular
transformation to bo completed. Irof. yarnll
atatas that on tho coast Of New England the
probably through tho greater pat or Al! Of tho
tnmmer. According to Quata.faKes, the Tcredo'a
l,fe is rounded in n single scaaon. It psrishes
during tho Winter hucceeeing its birth.
FORMS OF LIFE IN CAVES.
A thorough exploration Of the various caTea
OF Kentucky. Of tho Wyandotte and bradford
Caves Of Indiana, and Of Wcyer'n Cave aud Cave
at tbs Fountains III Virgins, mada by Maesrn,
4. 8. Packard snd +. W...Putn.n1 has resulted in
the discovery that considerable number Of spa.
cies Of animals aud plants inhabtt tho depths Of
these cavosns. Spiders were frequently observed
iu all tho cavea visited, but wero most abundant
in Woyer'a Cave, whore three species Of true
cnve srttlorH were found, viz, tho Nesticus pal
'id"s, Linyphta Neyeri, and Linyrhia iacerta
Mammoth and W.ando:ts, the largest md snosi
hncient eaverns, measuring from & to OF 8 miles
In oxtons, iad but single Rpecics each. Th<
Anthro5iu Adm,nonltia was found only In Nam
moth. and tho small caves called Diamonds ani
Proetor's, situated about 8 miics from It, Th.
LtnYphfa s.t5terranea, tho only species occurring
In Wyandotts Cave, also occurred in tho lastel
cayos.
Tho Cartar caves {ot cnrter County, K~.> and
tho Two Weycr'a CAVES Nc*err and tic adjoining
Care Of tho Foanta,nsl. arc vcrv ansall, s, being
losa than half 4 mile in length. except EAts
Cave, that Is rothaps over milo In o1tent. iet
It wnh In these Email caTorns that tho variation
aud number of spcclos ~as found to 10 greatest
Tho Anhro6ta MAS found In Mammath caso 1t
found With it contained only from, two to five
cgGa. Tho adult srtder is white, .lngcd With 4
faint Nesh color. Tho Liayrhia observed In
Wyantotte cavo IL \ light rlnksBh l.osn.brown
on the legs and tho1ax. aud dnIi yelor on ths
abdomen. In alt, ak specics Of true caye spidet'
] were obtained.
Tho specimens we're teeb'o and disntnutive
an.l only thoEe In tho Viewers cares spin reb
Tile small size and feeble reproductive powers o.
these spiders may bo accounted for By the In
su!icioncy Of food and light Afforded In tho'
subtotsnncan houes Mr. Packard is inclined 4
tho opiuion that all tho cave animals aro plodi
fed forms OF thosa living At tho present day cu
; | Of donrs.
In Mammoth Cave common plxnt Itlentjnet
| as tho old Uyss4s auran'facn. ard nan known Al
0zanittn nutHenm,h, MAS fou',', whlls n roNns
Pt2iza and coloIlsrs Igareocensred il Weyes'
| caya.
soAP.gEARlNo TREES.
There grows In tho West I0dles 4 tres Of th'
natural order sapiadaecr, the fruit Of uhlel
| ia rscd instond Of soap. Ths frnS Ia namei