The Red Cloud chief., 1888-07-06
THE TERRDsLE TEREoo.

Marine WORN That Destroy T1mbcEs
and Sinks Largo Ships.
A study Of the history and. habits Of this
singular worm will be found neither unin-
keresting nor Improbable, says the Atlanta
'Constuation. Its habitat was originally In
the tropic seas, but being carried in the
Numbers of vessels into North American and
European waters, it has become the terror
and dread of wharfnen and captains of un-
ssheathed sailing craft along the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts, and in the harbors OF
numbers of Mediterranean cities. Accord
ing to the classification of Linn2us, this BIZ
valve belongs to the family of Pholadidae
and genus tcredo, SO called from their habit
OF destroying ship or other timber. Tho
shell is equally Waived, and in form; it is
short, thick and round and widely open in
front and rear. This SHELF is situated at tho
inner end Of a tube, somewhat cylindrical in
shape, and either straight or crooked, as
the case Ea be: this tube being open at
each end in the full-grown specimens, and
lined or coated with a white, chalky paste
or substance, which seems to be its digest
i've apparatus. The weapon of the tercdo is
not its teeth, as might DC supposed. This
singular animal has still another peculiar
ity, dependent, however, upon the one last
mentioned. for since its instrument is its
foot. so it feeds Itself not from the mouth,
but from tie fo3: itself. The valves above
noted are simply a~ppcnda-es Of the foot. In
fact. if a te-clo should have his foot am.
putated he would III i most vital sense
close his grip II the center Of the
circular opening of tie valves the foot is
protrudcd. Ike the blade concealed in q
spring cane. al the entire arrangement
constitutes 3. ba;;l@-r,:ctine, f power in
conceivable il SO s!n:ll II object. But the
strength OF tits -rccIi2c iCco:2cS apparent
when, upOI u close. animation, one notes
the strong. Like ridges of the valves.
which can conil1ct with great force. and
the comparatively i.:l2 a.. SIG Of the
great abdncior iicrc,e :.-i.h enables tho
teredo to use lis ..-.., fc3s with the ease
Of al acscr r1.siu. through tho sOitest
pine.
This WORM c"::IS often d great length,
but ii Is usu:';.- from enc fuot 20 Z yard
long. lis size Ccpen9iug on the ';cngth OF
time il Ia beel ! TIC --Je~i. GIi frequent
ly on tb- S,zc - &c VS. Il is pro-
videl "a tv1 r>sr ~!:o;r tuOcs, each Of
which mas .--,i.on ...i:cara 10 a calcare-
oCs. + :!ten,i. tri..nguiar PIE on the out
size g. ~ 10y. l. h. two heads, il
such t.:"- ca b. 1-l;ca. cached to the cx-
trent I: c-.Sn ..Uch smaller than the
Mailt.i.l- :. III ! wl:ch az clcI The small
tubes 81 =. iIcnc5 long: or. il other
Torl.: - --.sIl body so.its into two small
tut - .3out e foo: or six inches from
WIZ i.e head j y e tc:C-r. and Ilerc
the t2;i :-oaid ~ ia a sn;.ise. This worm is
Cvin.riou:. - I..Cl ~ 49, arc bern
W.. ! - 80 ,o,u Cieil .hcv ~ aro.al by
MEANS vi u vit-.:ilc Ga: sometimes
Gre r:ng vi. tLS .US: ai.m Old enough to
be-iI r-or.. on = piece u: wood. 4 EQ0l.
mic. n ii.c having been selected, they
fas;ca t."i-Sc!vcs to the wood by means Of
the 5Lc.. : :r1ar-:us il tne-r leads. strike
in E.lh t,-c.s foot ana bore inwardly until
Only tie beau reMSins outside. Then they
fas.cn themselves 20 tho very edge, Just as
Clerk will fas:ea sheets of paper together,
turning eyer the sides Of a brass clamp.
and, lcccciorward. their sole aim. object
eri AMBITION in life is to grow. bore and
make sar:dcst. Small when they enter,
they could IL more creep backward out Of
the;- original hole after feasting q month or
w on Q rich pine log than . camel could go
through the eye Of . needle.
Still another species Of this log-cater is
the worm CLASSIFIED b. Leach. Limnoris
terebrons, genus lsopoda. which is . minute
sessile, eyed erustacean. and which eats in
to the piles several feet below the lew
water mark: and in vas: numbers. But in
destructive power these latter can not equal
the teredo. / seen y specimen of . pile At
tackled by the teredO, and one channel, b.
ginning almost as small as the diameter Of
q knitting needle. gradually widenci down.
ward in Q tortuOus course until, at IN apeY-
turc on the opposite side Of the log (which
had been gn-wed lengthways.l the size Of
the passage had grown to quite IN inch in
width. and the worm had grown in length
seven and eight inches, n nearly as could
Be measured.
On the coast Of California, I am cruliGly
informed the tercdo sometimes attains Q
diameter Of two inches and y length Of
fifteen feet And, so far rs any one knows,
their only food seems to be the dust which
they create y.aspir:. their gay through the
logs. This dus, is deposited by the fak In
the tube lined With the chalky membrane,
end instca1 " craving iawari and onward
a their borrowings lcnSthcn. they simply
grow IN due proportion, their head rcraain-
ing it Its place. But iEcrc they lind their
p~HnishE"n,: for their size thus iut ceased
and their log once consumed and broken Cd,
they fall out into the U;.ter, :.U'' their
career ends in the r:aw Of the not uungry
fish that chances their way. Once :hsir ono
log is ics:oycd they can never begin life
again. So the wise tcreLo Is CarcfU. to -
lccta SoOl. big log to begin With.
Anc; ~ TAFT Of this worm is that i: will
ncv.r - -:s floating timber. III: zoe to
tho ~, riaia2 It anchor i. hc- timsCrs are
not r-.,vt led by METAL sEcc:i2:s -!any Q
noble vysso. has been lost viii III on hoard
IN r.: uce::l owing to the lnsidioas r..vagcs
H. " Lie worm - she .ay Q:I:tlly - pOrt
tal.i!.:: ~ cargo and ~p.sscngcrs. EIt rs it
rarv,y L:ppcns that there is IL: / :o-lc visi-
bic co:ipl :ss:iOn in na:Grc's works and
.crc:t:-cs. To even thcia-c~Jirc:E .:eedf0l
by .ocr;-c ITO and disin;c a!i..::i .4c aunken
-Erccl,. t:.c!Icrs and CIR LJstructiOns
VIII, , would else render AVIS: on in some
barriers dAsgCroas. it Is astonishing how
rapidly : wreck viii disappear il sOme
channels particularly infested ay rhe ter
edo.
Ecv to proven: t,sc:a from running q Pile
almost as :Uc:, : Il WIS pi: GoySi v:as long
Q vcxcd C:I.:.G.. Ui.!. c::cn in maritime
towns; bit c-;e-i.-ca:s .ad invention have
sOiYod this H.; :cr IS :asy have given the
solution Of MARY o:..css. The logs arc now
Eyanizcd or cccCsntcd. "A log properly
treated will have u lie Of ct least fly