The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-28
TWO QUEER CREATURES.
Habits and Pcculiaritirs OF tho hat and
tho Whale.

tho Whale.
Only ono species OF feathorlcss ami
NAL that can fly exists in all tho world,
and 1t is one that you probably have
often seen. Properly speaking 1t has no
wings, nevertheless it's flying appur-
tenanco is moro nearly perfect than
that OF any bird. 1t flies with wonder
full rapidity, darts about with such
Quiekness that it is difficult for tho ego
to follow it, and it's sense of touch and
smoll arc something marvellous.
In watching its rapid and eccentric
flight in tho twilight you have, no doubt,
thought that this strange animal is bird.
But its bird-liko appearance ends with
its ability to fly. Its young arc born and
nurturcd just as nro puppies and kittens.
This strange flying animal Is tho bat,
says writer in tho Philadelphia Times.
In one of Esop's fables it is rotated that
tho beasts and tho birds once engaged
in baltic, and tho bat lowered above,
changing from ono side to tho othor, as
tho chances Of victory changed. For
this troachery tho bat was doomed to
the queer lifo he now leads, that of an
apparent bird, but real mammalian ami
NAL.
Tho structure of tho bat is very pecul-
lar. An eminent naturalist says: eff
tho fingers of n man were to be drawn
out like wiro to about four foet in
length, thin membrane to extend from
finger to finger, and another membrane
to fall from tho littlo finger to tho
ankles, ho would mako q very tolcrablc
bat" Yes, tho whole skeleton of the
bat tsvcry similar to that of man, with
tho exception of tho great olongation
of what wo may call tho arms and
hands.
When you SEQ the bat darting about in
tho evening no is taking his supper. lie
lives as the swallow does, on insects in
the air, and, although his sight is very
poor, his touch and smell arc so scnsi-
two that he has no difficulty in catch
Ing his prey. oven when flying so very
fast.
When cold weather comes on tho bat
ceases to fly about in search of food. lIo
doesn't need TO. lIe seeks we'll shell
tered nook, whore ho is not likely to DO
disturbed, and quietly takes nap till
next spring!
Somewhat analogous to tho bat, tho
mammalian of the air, is the whale, tho
va Wiz oC.t. nC WullS Is no
moro q fish than tho bat is q bird. It's
young arc born like the kittens and tho
puppies, but only ono at q timo The
young whale takes its nourishment at
its mother's breast, just rs the human
baby does, and it is just as carefully
watched and guarded by its parents.
Although whales grow to enormous
size, sometimes eighty and even ninety
feet long, the throat is so small that
tho animal couldn't swallow bite rs
large MS Il ten biscuit This applies to
tho common whale; the spcrmaccti has
mouth largo enough to swallow man.
The whalcbono that tho dress makers
and others find so useful is what may
be called tho jaw of the common whale.
1t has no teeth, and it lives on ANNA
culcs-littlo animals-that float in great
numbers on the surface of tho water.
Tho whalcbono is used as sieve
through which tho food is strained
Therefore the whale that kindly took
Jonah 'in out of the wet" must have
been spermaceu, which has a big
throat and jaws with about ono hundred
tocth in each.