The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-03-28
. OP ULAR SCIE NOE.
a VARIETY OF CURIOUS AND INTER.
EsTING FACTS.
characteristic. of Animal Lit.-The Spider
and Its Curious ways-1he Quantity of
Food We Eat-Preci0us Woods-History
In y Pack of Playing Cards-Etc.. Etc.
by PROF. j. F. ELsoM.

SsroO oAoUAlik tAAS1lktlk t1lC INV I
forms of animal life from the vegeta-
BILE. In the struggle for existence, for
life itself, even, which is going on per-
petually throughout the whole of ami
mate creation, as the rivers of life
murmur ceaselessly of the storied past,
1t is perfectly wonderful to notice the
phenomenal provisions made by nature
for the preservation of the weaker and
more helpless animals. In many cases
the color of the creature is adapted in
n wonderful way to its mode of living
and it's place OF concealment, contrib
uting very materially to its safety. All
who live among the green fields, which,
by. the way, is Tie way to live properly,
know how difficult it is to distinguish
the g%rasshopper from the leaf or blade
OF vegetation upon which he is at rest,
until he betrays himself by moving.
Those birds which sing in the hedgerow
have feathers upon their backs which
harmonize with the color of the leaves
about and among which they fit, while
the feathers on their breasts borrow
the white hue from the clouds above
them. The partridge can hardly be
distinguished from the stubble where
it makes its nest, while in the more
northern countries the winter dress of
the hare and %ptarmigan is white,
like the snow with which the land
scape is usually covered, and upon
which these animals are seen. Among
marine animals the same natural pro.
visions prevail, and go down, however
deep, into the water, animal life the
same color will he found. The frogs,
living in the stagnant pools and muddy
bitches by the roadside, are known to
vary their color iii order to harmonic
with the sand or mud in which they
live. The little tree-frog, on the other
hand. is green, and thus is with diff
Guilty distinguished from the tree to
which it adheres. Fish, especially
those which inhabit fresh water, are
80 like in color to the weeds and stones
among which they lie that it is often
very difficult to detect their presence.
One of the most wonderful instances
of natures care i'll providing for the
protection of the more defenseless
creatures is found in the apparatus for
defense with which the cnttle-tish is
provided. The very instant its quick
eye catches q glimpse of al approach-
ing enemy, knowing by instinct alone
it is absurd to speak of reason in con
nection with these low forms of animal
life-the impossibility of seeking safety
by flight, and having no means of de-
Tense whatever, it prepares at once to
seek safety in concealment. To this
end it sinks downward rapidly, throw
ing out from a vessel with which it is
provided, and nature taught it to use. a
stream of fluid with which the blackest
paint is light in comparison. This soon
colors the water far around, and effect
ually c~onceals the animal and at the
same time is very repulsive to all
forms of animal life feeding upon it;
and, as it takes considerable time for
this to dispense and the water to clear
itself, the enemy is generally batlied.
Ii, however. as is sometimes the case, a
reasoning animal-mnn-is in pursuit,
and the cuttlc-tish is still in danger, it
pours out another and larger flood of
ink. and remains perfectly quiet until
the danger is past, when it moves off in
a circle, making a larger and larger
turn until outside the black water its
ink has made.
Two Ways.
Speaking of spiders, I will relate
another little instance that is very in
teresting and appropriate in this con
nection. Some time ago l noticed n
fat old spider came to feed regularly on
a blossom i'll the laboratory window,
and invariablya little honey bee would
appear OH the blossom at the same
time. This being repeated u number
Of days-nearly a week-to make sure
the same visitors came every day, the
spider and bee each were marked, and
every day the marked insects appeared
regularly; would feed often in close
proximity to each other without mo-
lestation or desire to intrude, each
seeming aware of, but not caring for,
the others presence; and generally
about the same time, apparently salts
fled, would go away-the spider to his
network of traps in an adjoining win
dow, and the bee to its hive. Finally
one day I caught them both and ruth
lessly killed them. By means of the
microscope, s%pectroscope, and chemical
analysis, found that these insects OBJ
tanned from the same flower substances
widely dissimilar. One (the spider)
sought the most energetic poison
known, with which to slay his material
for food-the flies; the other sought
that perfect tincture of sweetness (lon-
ey) upon which to feed when the flowers
of the harvest had passed. Each had a
desire, each sought its qualification,
each obtained it from the same flower.
obtained it's fill, and went away salts
fed.
A moral should adorn' this storyss for
the truthfnlness of which I will vouch.
For instance, two persons, without
distinction of sex, will meet and talk
of a third (perhaps a friend, at least
an acquaintance of each); one will
have discovered all that is pure, good
and noble, the sweets of life, as among
the attributes of the third persons
character; the other all that is low,
vile and loathsome. the bitter, poison
Gus dregs of all human procliyities.
Each Of these persons is, like the
spider and the bic, in search Of some
thing; they find what they desire,
perhaps, in the character Of one Of the
most beautiful human flowers; each
gets qualification and goes away salts.
fled from the feast Of reason, and,
again, like the bee and the spider,
uses the substance obtained, one for
intellectual food for elevating, inspir-
ing and enrolling fellow-kind; the
other for bligAting the affections,
blasting the aspirations, and running
the nrosnecta Of Others. merely that