The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-08-05
NATURAL HISTORY PALACES.

NATURAL HISTORY PALACES.
Most ~ Them Compile ely Exploded. but
Some i'll Survive.
Less than a century ago, In the time
when men had not penetrated so deeply
into the study of nature, there was q
great deal of poetry and romance con-
nected with animal life that had been
slowly but surely driven out as the
study advanced
Travellers returning from unexplored
regions told strange and incredible
stories about the wonderful wild
animals they had encountered: but in
vestigation has rent asunGsr these
fanciful tales, and left only cold iacts
in their places.
/ am the owner of natural history
written by one Riley and published
about the year 1889. 1t is quaint old
book, and its yellow leaves and odd
type furnish the reader with a number
of strange accounts. Among others
may be found something like the
following: "The digestive apparatus
of the ostrich is said to be very strong,
indeed, that bird not only being able
TO digest such things as stones, bits OF
glass and iron, but it is even said that
it makes good meal of bed of live
Goals"
We laugh at such d statement, but
no doubt at the time of publication il
was stated for fact.
What right have we TO laugh? 1t is
not long since almost every one be.
lieved the porcupine capable of shoot
ing its quilts like arrows, and regarded
1t an animal we'll able to defend itself
against almost any foe, instead of the
quiet, inoffensive little creature that
curls itself In a ball at the first ap.
proach of an enemy, trusting solely tc
its spine-covered skin for protection.
Men who lived only a short time be-
fore us did not question that the
pretty, graceful swallows that skinned
so lightly DER the blue waters in sum
mer buried themselves in the mud al
the bottom of our rivers and ponds
when the season was over to await the
return OF spring.
1t has been but q short time since
investigation has shown that the sup
posed happy family made up of the
prairie dog, the burrowing owl, and the
rattlesnake is not only not happy
family but does not exist at ALL Our
first idea was that these three animals,
of such different habits, lived in per.
feet harmony, like the so-called happy
families of the modern circus; but our
faith in this belief is somewhat shaken
by the following, which may be found
in Woods Natural History" Accord
ing to popular belief, these three Great
ures live very tremendously together;
but observation has shown that the
snake aud the owl are interlopers, liv-
ing in the burrow because the poor
owner cannot turn them out and find
ing an easy subsistence off the young
prairie dogs
We were satisfied with this for
time but Judge the establishment Gre
ated when Elliot Coues, in one of his
latest writings, makes the following
statement in speaking of the burrowing
owl: Il have found colonies in Kansas
and other States in all cases occupying
the deserted burrows of the quadru-
peds, not living in common with them,
usually supposed.
Naturalists are now telling us that
the opossum does not play 'possum,
but is merely paralyzed with fear for
the time being; articles are published
every day in our ornithological papers
and magazines which go to prove that
owls can see as well by day as by
night. 1t is still an undecided ques-
ton whether snakes charm" their
prey or not In the Western back
woods these old stories are still be.
lieved in, the ignorant classes cling
with fondness to them and will not
learn anything different, and down in
our hearts do we not all of us cling to
them, more or less? Do we not hate
to give them up, and is it not with a
little regret that we are forced to &C.
knowledge that the porcupine does not
shoot his quilts, that the bird of para
disc 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 be?-Forest and
Stream.