The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-09-01

as Bobby Burns saw on a lady's bonnet
at church
1.-THE radiates are those whose arms
and tanticles extend from solid cen
ter. such as the starfsh.
The mollusks are the shellih, as the
oyster or clam.
There you have lesson in zoology
which all of your children should study
to-day; SO that when they take up the
big text book on zoology later on at
school they Will have q good outline
idea of the subject TO commence with.
well, let us return to the verte-
brates. They are divided into classes,
families, genera and species. The BIZ
mana family includes mankind Of
every race. The quadrumana family
includes all of the monkey peoples
We will let all of those things pass,
however, for the present, and talk
of mammals? Well. you have seen
them often enough. Mammals are the
higher order of verte bratsS, whose
yonng are born alive and VINO draw
nOuriShment from their mothers
breasts during their infancy. The BIZ
mana, quadrumana, canine, feline and
other high orders of vertebrateS are
mammals"
All of this study Of zoology came up
by reason of the question prOpOunded
by the scientist at the Smithsonian:
did YOU ever hear of a mammal that
lays eggs?'
A great many people assume to
''know it ALL" and thereby fail to learn
much. 1t was my good fortune to as
certain early in life that the only way
to get information in this world is to
confess ignorance on all subjects-and
ask questions. So said: mo, l never
heard of such a mammal. Is there
family of egg-laying mammals"
'Oh yes" replied the scientist,
there are several mammal families OF
that kind. Every one, apparently, inn
agnes that all mammals-that is to
say, creatures which suckle their
young-bring them forth alive; and.
correspondingly, the popular notion Is
that all other animals lower down in
the scale of creation-birdS, reptiles
and so forth - invaria bly, reproduce
their species by laying eggs, to be sub
sequeutlv Matched and TO bring forth
offspring. Now neither Of these prop
ositions is correct. In the first place
very great many of the animals that
are claSsed below the mammals bring
forth their young alive. This Is the
case, in fact, with a large number of
species. For example, some OF the
sharks bear living offspring. There is
even a whole family Of fishes on the
California coast, called the surf fishes
which always bear living young. Also
there are not few snakes whose young
are born alive, and likewise some liz
ards So. you see, it is by no means
true that the lower vertebrates are all
egg layers. Nay, more; a number OF
kinds of insects bring their young liv-
ing into the world, as DO the magEotS,
which drop their progeny alive IN car
rion.
All this has been understood well
enough Tor ever 50 long. but it was not
until within a very few years that
science knew Of any exception to the
supposed universal rule that every
mammal brings forth its offspring
alive, 1t i true that the egg OF q Ger
tain mammal was many years ago fig
ured and described by a competent
naturalist. but the assertion seemed 50
incredible that It was not generally be
lieved- Not until the year lS>4 did the
subject come up again for serious con-
.. Ills n h.
yond dispute that not only one nam
nal but a " hole order OF mammals are
thoroughly and incontestsbly ovipar-
ous-that is, egg-laying.
There are more egg-laying mammals
in Australia than anywhere else. The
porcupiue ant-eater i q good sample.
It Is about the size Of 2 common hedge
hog. and looks like one. too Il has q
snout which IS very long, and its
tongue Is tender and flexible, as well
as Of wonderful length. 50 that il can
explore deep cavities in the ground and
capture ants. bugs and other insect
prey. These porcupine ant-eaters Lay
eggs; but they are mammals Just the
same. ana suckle their young
Then there Is the mammal Of euphon-
ious name, the duck-billed platypus-
known 70 science as the 'ornithorhyr-
chus paradOxus.' This literally para
Goxical animal v2s 80 named - the
last century not from the fast n: its
ey--laysag habit, mt because q its as
.ca:shiuE physical structure. With It's
.'s.. horny and toc,nIsSs beaS. ike
that ~ duck. It's wchled feet. aquatic
habits. stout fl.r--ove-ed body small
head. short tail and habit Il feeding
upou insects. molIl>iz> y-E--eeiaa- eli
worms. the platyru> seems aet-sllr
cross between q mammal and bird
Whom Ion consider that i lives -
streams. somewhat as does tle otter or
tie muS}lrat. burrows IN the banks and f.
lays lis eggs II nests built II grass or
sL.L s.r-rT within IL tunnel. fs.lEsa -