The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1891-02-20

-:f.,.:-
HOW THEY TAKE FOOD.
Tho Various Wy: =: :: q. .aasA 1'''.s cssas.
That peculiar eohinoid, the sea-prohin;s
has five teeth in i've jaws-one In each
jaw-all the fivc Immediately surrounds
ing the stomach. Tho jaws have . pes
culinr centralized motion, al turning
inward and downward 20 that they also
act as feeders.
Snails have teeth on their tongues,
hundreds Of them, says the San Fran.
cisco Chronicle, but, as II these were NOT
enough, some have them also in their
stomach.
Tho cuttlcish, which, among other.
strange things, always walks with it,
head downward, does not Chow its food
at all, but masticates with Its gixxards
So do geese, fowls, ducks, and indeed all
modern birds. Scizing their food In
their leaks they swallow It whotes iS
grain or seed, and in large pieces if II bc
fruit or bread. In that condition It goes
into the giszard. powerful muscle with
very tough, horny lining, which acts -
mill, being sufficiently powerful 70
pulvcrize uncooked corlts To assist IN
the milling process ali grain-eatin9
birds swallow littlc pieces OF gravel,
glass, crockery, ,nctal. etc., the horny
interior of tho giszard being sufficiently.
tough to escape cutting by these mate.
rials. tits because of this fact that the
ostrich has acquired. his reputation Of
enjoying fcrruginors Dict. -; =
Even when they had teeth birds only.
used them to take their food, depend
ing upon tho gizzard for nastication
Fishes and reptiles use their teeth for.
the same purpose, that OF taking their
food, hut, like tho birds, they gulp down.
thcir food unchewcd. and unbrolscn IL
possible. ..-,-' Il -. .
There Gro. however, exceptions. The
ray, or skate, for instance. has mouth
set transvcrsely across It's head. the Jaws.
working with a rolling motion like two.
hands set back to back. In tho jaws arc
three rows OF fiat toeth, sot Ikea mosaic.
| pavement, and bctwccn these rolling
jaws the fish brushes oysters and other
1 mollusks lilo 50 many nuts.
The carps teeth arc set back ON tho,
| pharynx, SO that it may be literally said
to masticate it's food in its throat. Tho.
carp, too, is about the only cud-chewing,
fish, tho coarsely swallowed food being.
forced up to those throat tooth for COM
plete mastication.
Some fishes arc absolutely toothless,.
like tho sucker and lan,prcy; others
| again havc hundreds and hundreds, Of
teeth, sometimes go many that they COW
or all parts of tho mouth.
Tho great Greenland whale has no
teeth, its baleen plates, OF whalebone,
taking their place. Along the center
of the palate runs 9. strong ridge, and on
each sido of this there is wide depres-.
sion, along which tho plates are inserted.
While tho Greenland whale has NO.
teeth, the 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 moro than one, the left.
upper canine. 1t makes up for the lack.
of number by tho extraordinary growth,
attained by this ono tooth. 1t grows,
out and right forward, on line with
tho body, until IL becomes veritable
tusk, sometimes reaching the length Of
ton feet. Apropos of tusks, the ele-.
| plants arc its unduly developed upper.
incisors; those Of tho walrus are its up.
per CANNES, and so are those of the wild
hog.
Man is the only animal that has teeth
-tncisors, CANNES and molars-of an
equal height. Man, the ape, and nearly.
all ruminants, have thirty-two teeth.
Tho hog, however, is better Of than,
this, and has forty-four. So have the;
opossum and mole. The river dolphin.
of South America lays far beyond this,
however, having no less than 222 teeth.
Tooth are not part of tho skeletons bN$
belong to tho appendages. keutla ~
hair. ss. {. ;sssss I. ;'Ss's
Tho stnrgcon Il toothless ana ddfAMSiA'
It's food by suction, but. the AhArk ~;
hundreds Ot tooth ut In roWs that tsomo-
times number ten.
Lobstcrs and crabs masticatc their.
food with their horny jaws, but they
have also sets Of teet. i'll their stom-
achs, whcro they complete tho work of
chewing. But thoro is one peculiar
kind " crab, called tho ling or horse.
shoe crab, which chcws it's food with, ~
logs. This is an actual fact, tho littae
; a, ,imal grinding its morscls hotwoeh ~
thighs before it passes thom ovsr ~
mout.. ss
Tho jelly fish absorbA IT. Tod BY
! wrapping itself around tho otject which
it seeks to mako It's own. Tho stars
fse is oven moro accommodating.
Fastesing itself to tho body It wishes
: to feed on, 1t turns IT'S stomach inside
out and cnwraps its prey with this use-
; full organ.
Dogs seize their food with their jaws.
cats with their fcct, and so do monkeys,
, somc of them pressing thoir prehensile
tails into service. Tho squirrel uses its
paws to carry its food to Its mouts, the
elephant its trunk, tho giraffe, ant.
cater and toad thoir tongues.
Spiders chew their food with horny
!, jaws. which arc sharp enough to give
quite q nip.
Grasshoppers and locusts are very
3 we'll provided with the necessary ma
! chinery for eating much and often.
They have saw-like jaws, and gixzards,
too. the latter being fitted out with
horny teeth.
The caterpillar feeds with two saw
, edged jaws. working transvcrsely, and
uses them to such good advantage that
he eats thrse or four times his own
8 weight every day.
Toads. tcrtoiser, turtles and most