Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-06-04
The Curious Relations Of Living Be-

There are seven ways in which one living
creature or organism, may benefit another
by serving as its food by destroying its en-
emies; by destroying its rivals 10y trans.
porting it from place to place 10y inyolun-
tarily feeding it when in the process Of feed
ing itself by transporting its eggs or seeds
by aiding the reproductive processes as in
sects aid many plants by their visits to their
flowers.
From the great number Of most interest
ing illustrations of these points, we select a
few. Thus, the abundance Of cats, or other
mice eating animals benefits certain humble
bees, whose nests mice are in the habit of ap-
propriating. Ants not only protect certain
trees from caterpillars and slugs, but from
cattle, and even from man. The trumpet
tree has hollow stem, to which the ants gain
access, and there take up their habitation,
rushing out if the tree be touched or shaken,
and biting furiously. Strange to say they
do not live on the product of the tree, but
bring into it a herd of insect cattle (scale-
insects), the honeylike fluid which these in
sects secrete being greedily deyoured 10y the
ants.
Around herdsmen's huts in the Alps, AGO
mite, dock, and other plants have gained an
extensive footing through the destruction Of
other vegetation by the grazing herds, which
find the aconite and dock unpaatable, and
So by constantly sparing them, unintenton-
ally extend their range. Barnacles are car
ried about on the skin Of the whale Small
fish sometimes dwell within the interior of a
sea anemone or Of a star fish, and small crabs
within the valves Of mussels. One Of the
most curious instances of two organisms har-
moniously and habitually living together is
that presented by the group Of lchens. Ev-
cry lichen is in fact composed Of an alga and
a fungus, which live together, and are mutu-
ally beneficial each to the other. The lichen
is therefore IA wonderful organism, composed
of two kinds Of plants which naturally live
and grow as cOnjUined vegetable messmates,
aud cannot flourish one without the other.
Wading and swimming birds often carry
away with the mud on their feet the seeds of
plants and the eggs of aquatic insects. Even
r. water-beetle has been caught with small
living shell attached to it. Many plants, like
the common golden rod, have their seeds
provided with hooks that adhere to the fur
coats Of every passing beast, and SO get their
range extended.
1t is a we'll known fact that humming- birds,
and bees, and other insects are Of immense
aid in the fertilization of plants. II is ucces-
sary. however, that they should be protected
from the vi.its Of inst cts unsuitable for ef-
fectng this process. We find flowers are
thus protected 1t has been suggested that
the So called sleep" of plants is closure of
the blossoms to hinder the visits of useless in
sects which are active at the time of such
sleep" while the opening takes place while
suitable insects on the wing
Snails, sugs, and caterpillars are often
kept from flowers 10y group Of prickles at
the base of blossoms; the unpleasant taste of
leaf and hower-stalk keeps away other unbid-
den guests. Other plants have hectares at
the base ot the leaves, and so divert creeping
insects from rifing the flowers of their nee
tar.-lSL GeOrge Mi5art IN Contemporary