Telegram-herald., 1890-04-24

birds swallow little pieces q grsfeI. |
glass, crockery, metal, etc. tie horny
interior 4 the gizzard being sufficiently
tough 70 escape cutting by theso mate
rials Its because OF tins fact that the
ostrich has acc uired bis reputation Of
enjoying 3 ferruginous diet.
Even when they had teeth birds only
used them 70 take their food. depend
ing upon the gizaard FOR mastication
then 3 now.
Eishes and reptiles use their teeth for
tie same purpose, that Of taking their
food. but, like the birds, they gulp down
their food unchewed, and unbroken II
possible.
There are, however, exceptions The
ray or skate, for instance, has q mouth
set trrnsyersely across its heal, the jaws
working with 2 rolling motion like two
hands set back 20 back. Ia the jaws are
three rows Of nat teeth, set like mosaic
pavement, and between these rolling
jaws tho fish crushes oysters and other
mollusks like 50 many NUS.
Tho carp's teeth are set back on the
pharynx, SO that IL may be literally said
TO masticate its food in its throat The
carp, too, IS about the only cud-chewing
fish, the coarsely swallowed food being
forced up 70 these throat teeth for COM
plcte mastication-
Some fishes are absolutely toothless.
again have hundreds and hundreds OF
teeth, sometimes 80 many that they COW
er all parts Of the mouth.
The great Greenland whale has no
teeth, its baleen plates, or whalebone,
taking their place. Along tho center
of the palate runs strong ridge, and on
each side Of this thero Is wide depres-
sion, along which tho plates arc inserted.
While the Greenland whale has no
teeth, tho sperm whale has them In
great quantities on the lower jaw. and
uses them. too, when occasion requires-
On the other hand, the narwhal very
seldom develops more than one, the left
upper canine. 1t makes up for the lack
of number by the extraordinary growth
attained by this ono tooth. 1t grows
out and right forward, on o line with
the body, until it becomes veritable
tusk. sometimes reaching the length of
ten feet. Apropos of tusks, the ele-
plants are its unduly developed upper
incisors; those Of the walrus are its up
per CANNES, and so are those of the wild
hog
Man is the only animal that has teeth
--incisors, CANNES and molars-of an
equal height Man, the ape, and nearly
oil runinsnts, have thirty-two teeth.
The hog, however, Is better off than
this. and has forty-four. So have the
opossum and mole. Tho river dolphin
Of South America lays far beyond this,
however, having no less than 222 teeth.
Teeth are not part OF tho skeleton, but
belong to the appendages, like skin and
hair.
The sturgeon is toothless and draws IN
its food by suction, but the shark has
hundreds Of teeth set in rows that some-
times number ten.
Lobsters and crabs masticate their
food with their horny jaws, but they
have also sets OF teeth in their stonl-
achs, where they complete the work Of
chewing. But therc is one peculiar
kind of crab, called tho king or Horse
shoe crab. which chews its food with It's
legs. This is an actual fact, the little
animal grinding its morsels between its
thighs before it passes them over TO its
mouth.
Tho telly fish absorbs its food by
wrapping itself around the object which
it seeks TO make Its own. The star
fish IS even more accommodating.
Fastening itself to the body it wishes
to feed on, IL turns its stomach inside
out and enwraps Its prey with this use
ful organ.
Dogs seize their food with their Jaws,
cats with their feet, and SO do MONKEYS,
como Of them pressing their rrehenaile
tails into service. The squirrel uses its
paws TO carry its food 70 It's mouth, the
elephant its trunk, the giraffe, ant
eater and toad their tongues.
Spiders chew their food with horny
Jaws, which arc sharp enough to give
quite nip.
Grasshoppers and locusts are very
well provided wish the necessary ma
chinery for eating much and often.
They have saw-lise jaws. and gizzsrds,
too, the latter being fitted out with
horny teeth.
A % tebti ptalaF ieeLS Win TWO saw
edged jaws, working transversely. and
uses them to such good ad vantage that
be eats three or four times his own
weight every day.
Toads, tortoises. turtles and most
lizards have no teeth. Frogs have teeth
"a their upper Jaw only Anteatsr%
sioths and srmadillOs have no teeth.
The lion and tho tiger, and. indeed.
most Of the carnivora. GO not grind
their food, using their Jaws only np and
down. the rolars acting Ike chopping
Knives. or rather. scisso-s. Their
mouths, n fact are verftsble hash
mill
Strange and curious ss Some OF these
modes of feeding aro. however. tboy
none Or them compare IA simplicity ard
efJectivsness With hat prsctioed bT The
tape~orrn. This creature has Daither
mouth nor soomaoh. bat just lays along
and sbsorts 10 already digested food
through rs skin
Compensation.
rn.rr a. s-tes fn re ulorn3b- s-s t.s-r a.
z.gtt