San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-10

they are true worms On not. Anglo or fish
worms are true types Of worms Most other
worms that one sees are the Larvae Of insects,
and viii become images or perfect insects in
time. The common ''grub worm becomes a
May beetle. The large white grub worms"
that have blush list down their backs be-
come tumble bugs" the true scavenger I,
beetles. People often speak OF "eight legged |
insects" or ''ten legged insects" unmindful
of the fact that an insect has six legs, and no |
more or no less. Spiders, then, having eight
legs are not insects. We speak of the time
when the ''grasshoppers destroyed the crops, n
when we mean that the locusts destroyed the
crops, and the insects we usually call locustsl
are the seventeen year cicada. !
THE HORSE HAIR SNAKE"
The s'horse hair snake is another common
source of error. The creature that Is usually
called by that name originates and has a life
history as follows: A small flesh colored mite
is in water. 1t changes to q purplish lead
color and comes to the top Of the water,
where it sports for q time, and when looking
across water Of still evening, especially il
looking towards the setting sun, one can sec
masses of these tiny creatures that look like
smoke on the water. When they reach this
stage of development they leave the water
and get out on the leaves and grass. Here,
as opportunity offers, they attach themselves
to the feet of large insects especially Of
grasshoppers, katydids, etc. The legs Of
these insects being hollow, they crawl up
them, where they grow till they ell the legs
and sometimes the cavities of the bodies of
these large insects. This accounts for the
fat, clumsy condition of many of these in
sects After rain, in which the insects
drown, the full fedged "horse hair snakes"
come forth to delight the small boy and to
interest the student of nature, after which
they lay eggs in the water, If it does not dry
up too soon, and curl around them for q
time, and about the time the eggs hatch into
the little flesh colored mites first described
the snakes" die. 1t Is not claimed that this
Is the history of all "horse hair snakes" but
it is the true history of all that know any
thing about
Another error in the application Of names
Is noticeable in, the vegetable world. This Is
to the so called sycamore. The true syca-
more-acer pseudo platantus-grows only in
England, or, at most, the British Isles. Our
tree-platantus occidentalis-should be called
buttonwood. The true sycamore Is -
worthless as buckeye or horse chestnut.
Another error is held regarding the Virginia
creeper-ampelopsis cinqus folium-that
grows so abundantly along our fences and in
our forests. 1t is a beautiful plant and per-
fectly harmless. 1t can be trained over stone
or brick walls, over windows, doors, lattices
or arbors, so as to give most pleasing effect;
but most people think it is poisonous. They
mistake it for the poison ivy-rhus toxico-
dendron-which also grows abundantly
throughout the country. The beautiful Vir-
ginia creeper, or American ivy, grows plen-
tifully along the Missouri river bluffs and
along old fence rows on the uplands The
Virginia creeper has five leaflets on each leaf
stalk, while the poison ivy has three leaflets
The creeper is a dark, rich green, and in su-
tumn changes to vivid russell. The poison
ivy Is Of lighter green color, but changes
to q maroon or magenta in autumn It also
has many more lateral tendrils than the
creeper has, and consequently sticks closer ia
whatever 1t grows upon.-Edwin Walters in
st. Louis Republic.