The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-13
hOwThE eARNAClE0ETSFo FOOD
Provided With . wonderful Net which ~
tpes as q Net.

Provided With . wonderful Net which ~
vses Net.
The first time a man sees . barnacle
feed he is pretty likely to think 10 tho
most wonderful thing he ever saw, and
the oftener he sees IL the more won
derful IL Is apt to appear To him The
ordinary bsrnscle. rs 10 generally
known, grows on ships bottoms, op
piles and on rocks and stones along
the shore. There are various kinds oA
barnacles, and they attain various
sizes The common barnscle il siigho
ly oval in general outlines at the basel
it's shell Is about hve-eighths of AZ
inch in length, half an inch in width
and half an inch high; 1t tapers from
the base up, and is Jagged around thu
top. where IL is open. Inside tso outer
shell Is another, which 10 divided IN
halves vertically, the two perts being
held togetAer by muscles The outer
she'll is whole and fixed; the inner
she'll is movable. When the barnacls
is quiet the inside shell Is drawn to-
gether at the top and closed. and usu-
ally IL is below the top of the outer
shell
When preparing to feed, the bsrnas
Gle raises the divided shell until the
top of il is above the Jagged top of the
outer she'll; sometimes II opens tho
inner shell before II is above the outer
one; more often IL does not. When
the barnaele opens its inner shell -
puts out from il its feeder, which. ~ 10
comes up into visw, " in general con-
tour not unlike a human hand "a IL
woulS appear with the fingers and
thumb Joined nj the tips. When this
hand is open il Is seen To have many
fingers, which are so delicate as 10 b
almost threadlike In fnsuess, bot
which, fne Al they are, have upon
them tiny feathsry lateral projections
As the barnacle raises its hand x
opens i.s fingers and throws it~ hsnd
backward "a one would throw his hand
back upon his wrist. Then the b~<n.
aele sweeps n forward through tbs
water, nearly 70 a horisoptal petition
IN front II 10 spread 70 ~ greatest
dimensions when Ia . vertical post-
ton. IL n then In appearance sones
thing like tiny fan. coDesvs on ths
side 20 the front II - reduced 10 siss
"a II approaches the horizontal, where
IT Is closed, and In ortline as IL appear
ed 1T fret with the hngvr-tips to9eth-
or, and In that form 10 10 drawn MO
the shell with whatever food IL may
have caught in the sweep The ws.ss
passes freely between tnese slsndes.
testher-lined fingers. which, however.
retain the most minute anfDalerlse--
the food that the tsrpsele lives upon
Quickly the feeder rssppssrs in the
frat position and thesweeping through
the water IA repeated. and this - con-
tinued until apparently the b~rnscss
appetite is satisfied. the feeding lasting
altogether perhaps one or two minutes
The barnaele might not again se~k
food for hours: and II il irregular In its
hours Of feeding Larger barnaelss
are slower In motion when feeding,
smaller ones quicker. The litsls bar.
nacle acre referred % throws its feeder
VERY quickly. Every sweep, from the
start, through the spread. contraction
and drawing In OF the hand. In made
with the trusnsss, sr8oOthnsss and pre-
eisioa Of machinery.
Sometimes the bzrnacie sheds .his
feeder. or rather. il sheds TIE outer
covering OF IL. as though :. ---.
glove Ia open water this would Goat
away with the tide or current A. the
aquarium q has sometimes been found
lying alongside the shsll Of ,h. bar.
nse!e; j: :. 30 light that ~nsu moved u
fosts IN ths water almost az little
fragmsn; ~ thss.ls4o~u floats IN "a.
ar TIE earnsels - no; di,eornmossd
By .hs sasdding Of this glove from iis
osiiests. tsaihsry hand: (, make. po
breo< "A "a feeding. When the bar.
nAels diss the inner shell come. Loo.
IRON tas outer shell-s. Y Sun.