The Greenville times., 1894-09-01
A LESSON In ZOOLOGY.
Strange Facts Disclosed by q
Smithsonian Profe ssor.
Tho Living Creatures on Earth Are d.
yided Into -Four Glasses - Pecuiiaritles
Of the Various FAmiiles-Queer
marsupial Mammals.
Especial Washington letter.

"In the study of zoology" says SCI
enlist in the Smithsonian institution,
1--WE learn that all Of the living crea-
lures ON this earth are divided into
four great classes. They are the YER
tebrates, articulates, radiates and mol
luslSs.
"The vertebrates include all animals
having baclsbones, formed OF success
sion of bones, or vertebr@, such as the
horse, dog, fish, monkey or man.
"The articulates include all animals
whose hard parts are external; such as
the turtle or lobster, and such insects
as Bobby Burns saw on ladys Donne,
at church.
"The radiates are those whose arms
and tanticles extend from solid cen.
ter, such as the starhsh.
THE mollusks are the shellfih, ns the
oyster or clam.
There you have lesson in zoology
which all Of your children should study
to-day; 80 that when they take up tn
big text book on zoology later on at
school they will have 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 bi.
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
about mammals. What2 Never heard
of mammals? Well, you have seen
them often enough. Mammals are the
higher order Of vertebrates, whose
young are born alive and who draw
nonrishment from their mothers
breasts during their infancy. The bi'
mana, quadrumana. canine, feline and
other high orders OF vertebrates are
mammals"
All of this study Of zoology came ur
by reason Ct the question propounded
by the scientist at the Smithsonian
"Did you ever hear Of a mammal that
lays eggs?' #
A great many people assume tc
"know 1t 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 tc
confess ignorance on all subjeets--and
ask questions. So said: "No, neve,
heard of such mammal. Is there 9
family of egg-laying mammals?'
"Oh yes" replied the scientist
"there are several mammal families Of
that kind. Every one, apparently, i'm
aglnes that all mammals-that is te
say, creatures which suckle theil
young-bring them forth alive; and
correspondingly, the popular notion il
that all other animals lower down II
the scale of creation-birds, reptile,
and 80 forth : invariably reproducs
their species by laying eggs, to be sub
sequently hatched and to bring forth
offspring. Now neither Of these prop
ositions Is correct. In the first place {
very great many Of the animals tha-
ore classed below the mammals bring
forth their young alive. This is th,
case, in fact, with large number o.
species. For example, some of tn,
sharks bear living offspring. There |,
even whole family Of fishes on tn,
California coast, called the surf fishes.
which always bear living young. Ais,
! there are not few snakes whose yount
are born alive, and likewise some Ia
ards. So, you see, it is by no mean
true that the lower vertebrates are al
| egg layers. Nay, more; a number O
kinds Of insects bring their young liy
Ing intothe world, as do the magpots
which drop their progeny alive in car
rion.
"All this has been understood we,
enough for ever so long, but II was no
until within very few years tha
/, science knew of any exception to III
: supposed universal rule that ever,
/ mammal brings forth its ofrspr,n,
+ aiivel 1t Is true that the egg of a Ger
q tain mammal was ...any years age flo
. ured and described by a competen
I naturalist, but the assertion seemed q
. incredible that 1t was not generally be
q ieved. Not until the year 1884 did tn
a subject come up again for serious cor
. elderatior, when 1t was established he
{ yond dispute that not only one mann
mai but q whole order Of mammals ar