Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1884-09-30

in the geological gardens has raised
once more the numerous questions
touching the longevity of the lower an
imals When the Corocopsis arrived
from Madagascar it was an adult bnd
how old il is impossible TO say--and
1t lived in Regents park for fifty-four
years, or somewhat longer than any
other inmate of the place where its
long career was passed Parrots bear
the reputation of attaining great
age, though not improbable this is
owing to the fact that being so com
monty kept in captivity their days can
be more easily ascertained than those
of wild birds. Every one must remem-
ber the plaintive story of humboldt
finding among the Maypures of the
Orinoco parrot whose language no.
body understood, for he spoke the
tongue of the Atures, an Indian tribe
against whom war and pestilence had
done their worst, All day long this
venerable bird sat blinking in The sun
light chattering the polysyllables of its
vanished masters, and in its person
warning the savages around of the fate
that might soon Overtake them also.
The incident is one which appeals to
the imagination, though it would be
easy enough to duplicate it from other
parts of the world. 1t was the theme
of poem by Prof Ernst Curtius long
before he was known as the first of
Greek scholars. Where" he asks,
care now the youth who bred him to
pronounce their mother tongueP
Where the gentle maids who fed him
and who built his nest when youngP
Swift the savage turns his rudder,
when his eyes the bird behold. None
e'er saw without shudder the Atur-
ian parrot old" Yet there can be lit
tie doubt that if the opportunities for
observation were more frequent it
would be discovered that many birds
attain very advanced age. Thousands
must die every year, yet it is seldom
that we come across one that has sue
cumbed to natural causes. After a
storm, II severe frost, or during the
progress of one of those epidemics
which decimate certain species of an
imals, the victims may, of course, be
frequently met with. But it is singu-
lar how rarely we see any of the nu-
merous migratory or resident species
which can be pronounced to have sue
'cumbed to disease or old age. A field
mouse, shrew, a water-vOle, a mole,
weasel, or even a bat or rabbit, COM
mon as they are, can hardly ever De
seen dead except when there is
strong suspicion of their having fallen
victims to one of their many enemies.
What becomes of themP Do they
creep into holes and retired spots
when tney see the powers of life wan
ingP Or do their companions conceal
their bodies in the earthP Or are their
corpses so eagerly devouled by the
roaming carniyora that the opportuni-
ty of seeing them is seldom vouchsafed
to us?
BE this as it may-and the last hours
of the lower animals constitute one of
those obscure corners of natural his
tory which still remains to be explored
we may take it for granted that no
created beng enjoys an even approx
mate Immortality. Every organism
must in time run its course and decay,
though, unquestionably, some of the
simpler tissues are so readily and so
frequently renewed that il is difficult
to fix any limit to their duration. AS
a rule, the more complicated the
structure, the less the chance the or
ganism has of prolonging merely
gegetative existence. Many insects,
after attaining their perfect condition,
never see second days sunlight
These beings, it may be argued, are
somewhat complicated as regards their
anatomy. On the other hand, most of
the infusoria are so little differentiated
that, like the wheel animalcule, they
can be dried up, and revived by coming
m npntant with wofar Vat co,yorol