Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-07-29
POPULAR ERRORS.
MISTAKES THAT ARE REPEATED FOR
MANY GENERATIONS.
Many Ideas Regarding Almost Everything Under ths
Sun-aBstsr Not TO Know 50 Much,
Than 10 Know 50 Much That
Isn't So"
Ed,rn Wauers "a s.. Aquts RepubAe.

Avolume could be written on popula
errors on scientific subjects. So few pee
pie observe tor themselves, and 30 man.
accept what they hear from others, o
what they read, that it is a wonder ther
are not more errors fixed in the publ
mind on such subjects.
One hardly knows where to begin Oh
the list, but attention is first called to tn
loose manner in which terms, especial.
names, are applied. Take the common
gopher as an example. The true gOphe
is of O gray color, and is about the sizs o
a large rat. He has large pouches on eacl
side of his mouth in which b,
carries dirt when making his burrowI
in the ground. His front teeth stand
ont the most prominently in any
of the great family of gnawes-roden'
Ia. His tail is short and looks very muel
like that of q rat. In some parts Of the
country a gray squirrel is called q gopher
In other parts o striped squirrel or prairie
chipmunk is called by that name, while
in Kansas, Nebraska and many parts Of
the West, q small marmot, which is close
ly allied TO the prairie dog, is called o 60
pher. These marmots are quite common
in the country around this city. In most
parts of the Southwest q skunk is called q
polecat and o polecat is called q mink-foI
the Western so-called mink is nothing but
a polecat. 1t took two hundred years fol
the popular belief TO be given up that
beavers use their tails for trowels. In
some places yet, school readers can be
found that teach such nonsense.
The expressions, 'as graceful as an ante.
lope," or "hesd and tail up like au ante
lope," are often heard. In the first place,
the antelope is not q graceful animal, es-
pecially when in motion. In the second
place, the antelope does not run with its
tail up" as . deer does. 1t a u more
like a sheep. 1t is a very timid animal.
After it has shed it's horns it suggests a
sheep when it runs. When its horns are
long and it is running at right angles to
one's line of vision it suggests a goat, as
its horns retreat backward like a goats.
Herein is the principal difference between
q deer and an antelope. The horns of a
deer come out over his face and droop for
ward while those of an antelope slope back
ward over the ears.
Another popular fiction is that if one
shoots a prairie dog his mates will rush ont
and carry him into one of their dens before
it is possible to get possession Of him.
To 20 xrra that onnh thfnna haua ACTUALLY
occurred. Rats have been known to do the
same thing, but the instances are rare. U.s.
ually q country that is inhabited by prairie
dogs, or more properly by prairie msrmots,
has a dry, thin atmosphere. This condition
deceives the hunter and causes him to shoot
so far at the little creatures, that in the
larger number of cases he misses entirely.
In the second place, these animals never
stop when danger is near until they are at
the mouth of a hole. Then they will stop
and sit upon their launches in such a
manner that if they are shot they are
nearly sure to fall inside the hole. The
prairie msrmots, mentioned above, that
one sees in the country around this city,
have the same habit-that of stopping at
the mouth Of their holes and sitting upon
their launches to look around. Another
error is the calling of nearly every insect a
bug. Potato beetles, June beetles, May
beetles, etc are all called bugs, when they
are beetles. The bed-bug and the chinch-
bug are true bugs, but nearly everything
oiSe u~euatiy called by that ~---H'~-e
70 the great family Of bottles. A beetle
opens his mouth sidewise, while the bug
opens his perpendicularly as we open ours.
Worms are all regarded as worms
whether they are true worms or not.
Angle or fish worms are true types of
worms. Most other worms that one sees
are the Larvae of insects, and will become
images or perfect insects in time.
The common grub worm" becomes q
May beetle. The large white grub
worms'' that have q blush list down their
backs, become tumble bugs" the true
scavenger beetles. People often speak Of
''eight-legged insects" or ten-legged in
sects," unmindful of the fact that an in
sect has six legs and no more no no less.
Spiders, then, having eight legs, are not
insects.
We speak of the time when the ''grass-
hoppers destroyed the crops" when we
mean that the locusts detroyed the crops;
and the insects we usually call locusts are
the 17-year oicade. This calls to mind the
fact that Professor Riley is reported as
saying these insects are to visit us again
this year. This is another error. They
are due here in 1896, as it will be remem-
bered that they visited rs in 1S79-st least
this is true of a large extent of country
south and west Of the city.
The 'horse-hsir snake" is another COM
mon source OF error. The creature that ID
usually called by that name originates and
has q life history as follows: Asmall 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 q still sven
ing, especially if looking toward the setting
sun, one can see masses Of these tiny crea.
lures that look like smoke on the water.
When they reach this stage of development,
they leave the water aud get out on the
leaves and grass. Here, as opportunity
offers, they attach themselves to the feet Of
large insects-especielly Of g~rasshoppers
kstydids, etc. The legs of these insects
DeiuB nOiloWS tucy CidWi up tncul, WneTt
they grow till they fill the legs, and some,
times the cavities Of the bodies of thes,
large insects.
This accounts for the fat, clumsy coudi,
ton OF many Of these insects. After .
rain, IN which the insects drown, the fall
tisdged "horse-hair snakes" come forth t,
delight the small boy and to interest the
student of nature, after which they lay
eggs in the water if it does not dry mp tot
soon-snd curl around them for q time
and about the time the eggs hatch into lit
tie flesh. colored mites first described, tn,
snakes" die. It is not claimed that this
is the history Of all "horss-hair snakes
but it is the true history of all / know any
thing about.
Another error In the application oil
names in noticeable in the vegetable world
This is to the so-called sycamore.
The true sycamore-acer pseudo platan
tus-grows only in Eoglsud, or, at most
the British Isles. Our tres-palsntus &C,
cidentalis-should be called buttonwood
The true sycamore is as worthless as buck.
eye or horse chestnut.
Another error ia held regarding the Vir.
ginia creeper-ampelopsis cirque folium-
-