The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-05-17

others perfectly smooth We find them of
nearly every color-glassy, transparent, milk
white golden yellow, pink, and scores of other
shades.
These little animals, living in the water and
moving from place TO place, have as perfect and
seaworthy ships, in miniature, as the best mod
ern vessels. They have for centuries plsughed
the open seas in their vessels, never seeking
port and never suffering disaster. With their
air-hoat,abOye, in addition to buOyancy, perfect
stability is obtained their body below serves
as ballast, and their membTanOus wings are
good sails, which can be furled or hoisted at
the animals will. No waste to be carried away,
no anchor needed, but perfect stability always.
How many ideas of modern architecture and
engineering, the result of long study and eX-
pertinent, have been in use for centuries untold
among the lower animals The ant, the bee,
the spider and hundreds of others, are using
principles which man has yet to learn.
There is another animal boat found in these
waters, which uses a slightly different princi-
pie. This is the nautilus, a species of MOllusca,
and near ally to the cuttle-fsh. 1t swims
backward by means of eiectng water out of a
tube near the mouth, just as in all other Cepha-
lopoda 1t can rise to the surface or navigate
the waters beneath the surface at will. As the
animal grows,
IT BUILDS ADDITIONS TO ITS SHELL,
and as it builds cuts off part of the rear cham
.
it will be found to be divided by numerous
transverse partitions, each chamber being con-
nected with the one in front and behind by
circular hole. When the animal is alive a
feshy tube passes through all these holes, thus
preserving connection between the animal
and each of the chambers it successfully inhab-
tied and deserted as it grew. By pumping
water into these it can sink to any desired
depth.
These are some Of the larger and more inter
esting surface animals. | might go on almost
indefinitely, noting down peculiar habits and
points of structure illustrated in the myriads
of creatures that live and die in the warm
waters. In the patches of sea- weed gOod-sized
crabs and fish find refuge. They assume the
color of their floating home, and seldom leave
their retreat being satisfied with what food
passes within reach, and not endangering their
lives by venturing out where their enemies can
see them
The goose or stalked barnacle is found
everywhere, attached to all floating objects
weed wood or vessel. 1t is an enemy to ship
masters sailing from tropical ports. Although
the vessels bottom is scraped just before leav
ing port, young goose barnacles attach them
selves in such Numbers that, owing to their
rapid growth, they seriously retard the ships
progress. There is no rsmcdy but to sail
on, letting them grow as lit as they viii and
removing them when port is reached.
goose matches out Of the goose barnacle, and it
is possible TO find sailors who will assert that
they have seen them on the point of flying out.
This belief probably arises from the peculiar
way which the barnacle has of obtaining its
food. The feet are modified to great extent
and are fringed with hair. By a scooping mo-
tion they send their feet out of the
OPENING OF THE SHELL,
drawing them in again in such manner as to
| bring at the same time quantity of water
Whatever animals are strained from this are
| eaten. There is a slight resemblance between
these fringed feet and the partially -feathered
wing of a bird
| When the barnacle is young it is free, swim
ming around, and resembles a shrimp; but in
| a few days some unfailing instinct forces it to
| settle in life upon some solid object As Huxley
| truly says, " it stands on its head and kicks
| the food into its mouth with its feet" When
| it strikes a solid object sort of hydraulic &C.
ment is secreted from place near the head
and the animal is fixed for life. From that
moment when it attaches itself it begins to
change and degenerate until it has no external
| resemblance to its near relatives, the crustace-
ans Indeed, it was not until the middle of the
present century that it was known to be one of
| the Crustacea, having been before classed Mol
| lusca because Of its hard shell.
| The warm waters of the Gulf Stream are
particularly favorable to rapid growth and
abundant life. Here the young of larger ami
mails exist of microscopic size and adult ami
mails, which never grow large enough to be
visible to the naked eye, occur in immense
quantities. By dragging a fine silk net behind
| the vessel these minute forms are easily taken,
and when placed IN glass dishes millions uu-
| counted are seen swimming backward and for
ward. The toothless whale finds in these his
only food. Rushing along with his mouth
open, he strains the minute animals from the
| water and swallows them as soon as a mouth
full is obtained. To show the vast number OF
these tiny animals l can do no better than to
remind the reader Of the thousands of whales
which exist in all the waters, and they say
that from these minute creatures nearly all the
whales find their means of living.