The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-12-17
ANIMAL PECULIARITIES.


An article on the pecuiarities of a
few of the countless animal species may
interest the boys, and men also, for
that matter. The theme is ineXhausti-
Bile. Infinite wisdom in the creation,
wherein man has never been enabled,
and never will be able. to discover a
single error, is as manifest in the brute
formation and instincts, as elsewhere.
Observe, first, the camel genus, includ-
ing the drOmedarY. with their singular
adaptation to the traversing of the
desert. Note his spreading feet, that
shall not sink deeply in the sand, and
thereby impede his progress: also his
sef-sustaining supply of water, during
six or ten days; and, more particularly,
the little plat of short stiff hair within
his nvstrilS, through which, by closing
down the upper lid. he can sift air from
the sand for respiration in like manner
rs fish separate air from water, through
/ the "gills." His spinal column and
paNwaX, which support his head and
/ long neck in a horizontal and curved
| position, upward, are more peculiar
/ than in the horse or OK, or any other of
! the shorter-necked animals. He is
| very docile, possesses great strength,
with astonishing power of endurance.
| DeQuincy, in his narrative of the grand
exodus of the Calmuc Tartars states
/ that the camel was the only animal
which endured, to the end, the terrible
hardships of hunger, thirst, cold aud
heat, which reduced six hundred thou
sand souls to two hundred thousand.
The moose has combination of
mouth and nostrils which enables him
to eat grass and other herbs under
water, and an especially straight, trim
and delicate leg and hoOfs, which shall
not entangle him in the meshes of herbs
and brush wood. He is the animal of
the "swamp," as the camel is of the
desert He is said to out trot the fleet
est horse, but never canters.
The hog, in his inner formation, re-
sembles man more nearly than any
other known animal. He has his COM
bined carnivorous and granivorOus
stomach, and his contrariness. las
contrary as a hog" is proverb. He
has been taught to read figures and
letters and to do other astonishing
things. His tusks are horns, not teeth.
Fancy row of teeth, with a horn in
their midst. Yet it is horn, the same
as if upon the top of his head, it has
the pith of the horn; and moments
reflection must convince even the
skeptic that tooth would not answer
the intended purpose. 1t would break
and he would be worsted in battle. As
he is, the wild boar is said to have gored
the king of beasts, the lion, to his van
quishment and death. His greatest
popularity is that he is not a rumnant,
in common with the split-hoofed genus;
and because he does not chew the cud,
the Jews rejected him as unclean.
The dog species have very many pc
culiarities. The hound, the coach, the
bull, shepherd, drover, setter, the noble
Newfoundland and ST. Bernard. and
others. Ny little terrier, or ratter, has
hair growing in a curve over his eyes,
which hides their glare from the cum
ming rat, yet does not obstruct his own
vision. This gives him great advan-
tage, like unto pussy-cats' sensitive
"smelers." The dog never sweats or
perspires, he has to "loll " it out of his
mouth. Though he runs until he falls,
his jacket is not moistened like other
animals; and he can plunge into the
water at the end of heated race with
out injury, or the rheumatic pains to
which man and other animals are sub
jected. Yet, his skin, when tanned, is
nearly as porous as that of the deer.
This fact would seem to require an
inner impervious skin, or film, which
alike estops perspiration and excludes
water. The hounds keenest sagacity
cannot scent the female fox, and pre-
sumably, other of the lesser mammals,
during their nursing season. While
she yields milk her paws have no trace
of smell. Their nurslings, in their state
of helplessness, are mercifully pro
tected. The dog is the emblem of fl
deity, as the anchor is of hope.
Pussy can watch her mortal foes
without shutting her eyes or winking.
never could discover puss moistening
the pupils of her eyes by moving pre-
. ceptible film over them, as do some
birds, the owl in particular. -Ne0sboys
! Appeal
Ho,o 20. nuIl RnVS