Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-04
NATURAL HISTORY PALACES.
Most OF Them Completely Exploded. bss
some >tfll SURVIVE

ss'~t VI Aneh SomtttteN FNIlD0&0. O0t
some stin survive
From Forest aud strram.
Less than q century ago. in the time when
men had not penetrated 90 deeply into the
study OF nature, there was q great deal Of
poetry and romance connected with animal life
that had been slowly but surely driven out 20
the study advanced.
travellers returning from UNEMPLOYED re-
glons told strange and incredible storie.
soont the wonderful Wild animals they had
encountered; but investigation has rent
asunder these fanciful taics and left only cold
facts in their places.
am the owner Of . natucsl history written
by one Riley and published about the wear
l7ss. II be quaint old book and its yellow
leaves and odd type furnish me reader with n
NUMBER OF strange accounts. Among othe "a
may be found something like the following;
The digestive apparatus OF the ostrich is said
20 be very strong indeed. that bird not only
being able 20 digest such thing. as stones b,t.
OF glass and iron. but Il 10 even said that n
makes a good meal Of bed of live Goals"
We laugh at such a statement. but no doubt
at the time OF publication it Was stated for
fact
What right have we TO laugh2 II is not long
since almost every one believed the porcupine
capable Of shooting it's quilts like arrows, and
regarded II an animal well able 90 defend itself
against almost any foe. instead OF the quiet in
offensive little creature that curls itself In a
ball at the first approach of an enemy. trusting
solely TO Its spine-coyered skin for protection.
Men who have lived only a short time before
US ana not question but what the pretty. grace
iul swallows that skinned lightly Ger the
blue waters IN summer buried themselves IN
the mud At the bottom Of our rivers and ponds
when the season WAS 20 await the return
of spring
IL has been but short time since investi-
ganon has shown that the supposed happy
family made up of the prairie dog the burrow-
ing owl and the rattlesnake IL not only not a
happy family. but does not exist at all. Our
nrst idea was that these three animals Of such
dinerent habits, lived in perfect harmony. like
the so-called happy families of the modern cir
Gus; but our faith IN this belief is somewhat
shaken by the following. which NAV be found
IN Woods Natural History" According to
popular belief, these three creatures live very
harmonlously together, but observation has
shown that the snake and the owl are IN
terlopers. living in the burrow because the
poor owner cannot turn them out and finding
an easy subsistence on the yonng prairie dogs.
We were satisfied with this for q time but
Judge the astonishment created when Elliott
Coues, IN one Of his latest writings. makes the
following statement in speaking OF the burrow-
ing owl: Il have found colonies in Kansas and
other states, in all cases occupying the deserted
burrows OF the quaGrupeds not living in COM
mon with them usually supposed"
Naturalists are now telling us that the opos-
sum does II play 'possum, but 10 merely para
lyzed with fear for the time being: articles are
published every day in our archaeological
papers and magazines which 20 TO prove that
owls can see equally as well BY day ~ by night.
IL Is still an undecided question whether
SHAKES .'charm" their prey or not. In the
western backwoods these old stories are still
believed in; the ignorant classes cling with
fondness TO them and will not learn any
thing different, and down in our own hearts do
We not all Of US cling 10 them. more or less!
DO we not hate TO give them up. and 10 IL not
with little regret that forced TO ac-
knowledge that the porcupine Goes not shoot
his quilts, that the bird of paradise really has
feet and legs, and that our national bird, the
white-headed eagle. is far from the noble bird
We once thought him to be2