New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-21
THE FAUNA OF ARGENTINA
A LIFELONG STUDY OF THE CREATURES OF
THE PAMPAS

bic Of deifying Nature in the most outspokcn
way and Of using language In regard to natural
eelection like this Natural selection, like an
angry man, can make weapon Of anything"
He talks in the most extraordinary way Of the
devices for the protection Of certain grasshopper
(zsnispoda tersata), the habits Of which In the
layval state are In the most violent contrast with
these Characteristic of the image. The larvae
are Of conspicuous velvety black color, as It
they had been cut out Of jet or ebony, and they
move about slowly In troops apparently anxious
to challenge attention. and to defy the voracity
Of insect-eater Though the author took pains
to observe the actions Of birds, he never saw
these creatures eaten by them, and was convinced
that the intense black colsr was means Of
protection. OF course, he made chemical
study Of the pigment forming the basis of the
colsr, or at least has given no hint Of such
study. In every respect tho adult grasshopper
revcyses the appearance and promise Of its ysuth
1t becomes shy and solitary, and csnceals Itself
in dense foliage near the ground. 1t 10 OIL
general greenish hue, like the leaves among which
1t lives, and on which it feeds. Its thighs arc
varesated with bands Of green and brown. IL
Is only conspicuous whom it nles because Oh
bright red hind wings, which arc covered when
the insect is at rest. Here, again, the chemical
inquiry which might have suggested PRACTICAL
cause for the celebration is lacking. While the
author crtioises the wholesale use OF the theory
Of mimiory, still he applies it in this case In
the most Incorporating way. he argues IN the
same way Of another graeshoppcr common IN La
Plata, very beautiful insect, with the head and
thorax of o chocolate hue, varied by cream-colered
markings, the abdomen steel blue or purple, and
the hind wings bright red. At rest 1t looks like
O. common grasshepper, but when 1t dies is
oft MD fa ar cauHht
the trick Of doubling itself up as wasp does
when about to sting, The resemblance is 20
complete that the naturalist fooled by 1t
and sometimes dropped his prize after he had
caught it, through fear of being stung. This
is very striking case, impossible to explain at
present without the theory Of mimicry But the
theory does not really dispose of the problem,
which Is merely removed another step toward
the uncXpainable.
On the other hand, there are fields of natural
history in which Mr. Hudson has summary dis
posed Of some prevalent hypothesis For ex-
ample, he handles somewhat rudely the statement
that birds have an instructive fear OF mail
Casting aside all the arguments in support Of
this statement pure suppositon, with the single
exception Of the observed fact that birds IN
desert island show at first no fear OF man, out
afterwards fncing him dangerous neighbor
descendants he maintains that this fact contains
no proof of tho influence Of heredity. The fear
of man. he insists, is not instinct, but is taught
to the young birds in each individual case by
their elders lie found small lirds shyer in
desert places which had never been visited by man
than they were in thickly settled districts Large
birds were more dlstrustful than small ones, bnt
they exhibited some pecuGarties that might
easily take the color of human reason at the
hands of an imaginative naturalist. Il have,
SAYS he, frequently walked quite openly TO
within twenty-five or thirty yards of flock OF
hamiAgees without alarming them. This, how
ever, was whom they were in the water, or
on tho opposite ode of a stream. Having no ex-
periencs Of guns they fancied themselves secure
a. lsng as strip Of water separated them from
the approaching object When standing on dry
land they would not allow so near an approach
Carving with him to London his experience OF
the Pampas, he was net surprised to find the
sparrows In England much tanner than the spar
rows of Wild regions. But he observed that the
young sparrows even in England were much less
tinid than the old birds. New this difference
would b impossible II fear Of were al
hereditary instinct. In order 10 test the matter
he took pains daily to feed sparrows that came
to his window frsth Rev Gardens. At first the
yenng sparrows showed no fear at all. while the
old birds kept at a safe distance and, snatching
UP the bread crumbs, flew away In haste. In a
week or 30 the young birds became infected
with tho same feeling A clearer example OF
the direct communication Of lesson from old 10
young could not he desired
specific instance Of bird which should possess
an instructive fear Of man Is the rhea or the South
American ostrich Its pedigree is one Of very high
antiquity and there Is every reason to think that
from the remotest period of It's contact with man
first for long ages with savage man. then for the
last few centuries with man more or less civ
iized-it has been the object Of constant persecu-
tsn Yet the young rhea s proverbial for it's tame
rees. II Snce kept brood myself" remarks Mr..
Hudson, captured just after they had patched out
With regard to food. they were almost. or perhaps
quite Independent. spending most Of the time
cstohing flies grasshoppers. and other insects with
surprising dexterity; but Of the dangers encom-
passing the young rhea they knew absolutely moth
Ing They would follow me about as II they took
me for their parent and whenever / initiated the
loud snOrttng or rsspins warning call emitted by
the old bird In moments Of danger, they would
rush to me in the greatest terror. though no ami
NAL was In sight, and, squstt,ng at my feet en-
deaver to conceal themselves by thrusting their
heads and long necks up my trousers Here. two
instincts are plainly exempii6ed-the instructive
knowledge Of what was fit for rhea to eat. and
the insttnctivs knowledge Of Sbca language but
there was ne instinct that caused the young birds
t. fear one object more than another. In cases
where language could net be q hereditary gift from
parent to offspring, even warning cries had no
effect. The cowbird, or South American starlins,
like the cuckoo. lays Its eggs IN the
nests Of other birds. Mr.. Hudson observed
that while the legitimate nestings In
variably responded to the parental signal Of
danger the parasitic interloper stoldly dsregarded
. language to which 1t was not native. II the
conclusion is correct TO which these examples
and arguments point, then whole bundles of
essays arc as completely Anticipated as If they
had been written by Pliny For Mr.. Hudson