The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1895-12-19
HOW rpzs TAKE FOOD.
The Various w,:ys in which Living crsat-
ures Eat.

The Various yvs.ys In Which Living Creat-
ures Isat.
That peculiar echinoid, the sea.urchin,
has 1--WE teeth in Ave jaws-one in each
iaw--all tho Ave immediately surround
iug tho stomach. The jaws have pc
culiar centralized motion, all turning
inward and downward SO that they also
act as feeders.
Snails have teeth on their tongues,
hundreds Of them, says the San Fran
cisco Chronicle, but, as If these were not
enough, some have them also in their
stomach.
The cuttleflsh, which, among other
strange things, always walks with its
head downward, does not Chew its food
at all, but masticates with its gizzard,
So do geese, fowls, ducks, and indeed all
modern birds, Sei2ing their food in
their beaks they swallow 1t whole, Il
grain or seed, and in large pieces II it be
fruit or bread. In that condition it goes
into the gizzard, a powerful muscle with
very tough, horny lining, which acts as
mill, being sufficiently powerful to
pulyorize uncooked corn. To assist in
the milling process all grain-eating
birds swallow little pieces of gravel,
glass, crcckery, metal, ETC., the horny
interior Of the gizzard being sufficiently
tough to escape cutting by these mate
rails. tits because Of this fact that the
ostrich has acquired his reputation OF
enjoying ferruginous diet.
Even when they had teeth birds only
used them to take their food, depend
ing upon the gizzard for mastication
then as now.
Fishes and reptiles use their teeth for
the same purpose, that Of taking their
food, but, like the birds, they gulp down
their feed unchewed, and unbroken II
possible.
There are, however, exceptions. The
ray, or skate, for instance, has mouth
set transversely acrossits heal, tho jaws
working with rolling motion like two
hands set back to back. In the jaws are
threerows Of fiat teeth, set Ikea mosaic
pavement, and between these rolling
jaws tho fish crushos oysters and other
moilusks like SO many nuts.
Therarp's teeth are set back on the
pharynx, SO that II may be literally said
to mastirate its food in its throat The
carp. too is about the only cud-chewing
fish, the coarsely swallowed food being
forced Up to these throat teeth for com
plete mastication.
Some fishes are absolutely toothless,
like the sucker and lamprey; Others
again have hundreds and hundreds OF
teeth, sometimes so many that they COW
er all parts of the mouth.
The great Greenland whale has no
teeth, its baleen plates, or whalebonel
taking their place. Along tho center
of the palate runs strong ridge, and on
each side Of this there is wide depres'
sion, along which the plates are inserted
While the Greenland whale has NO
teeth, the sperm whale has them in
great quantities on the lower jaw, and
uses them. too, when occasion requires
On the other hand, the narwhal very
seldom develops more than one, the left
upper canine 1t makes up for the lack
Of number by the extraordinary growth
attained by this one tooth. 1t grows
their food, using their jaws only up and
down, the molars acting like chopping
knives, or rather, scissors. Their
mouths, in fact, are a veritable hash
mill.
Strange and curious as some of these
modes of feeding are, however, they
none o. them compare In simplicity and
effectiveness with that practiced by the
tapcworm. This creature has neither
mouth nor stomach, but just lays along
and absorbs the already digested food
through its skin.
Ing ornG-O Or ELECTRICITY
Almost 1900 Central Station Plants ii
America.
A very interesting publication ha
Just been put forth by one of the lead
;g electrical companies of this country
IS large atlas, showing state b,
L the distribution of electrie-lightini
atral stations and Of electric railways
& various plants being marked at eac
ef the towns and cities in which the
are installed. The grand totals show
are one thousand nine hundred an
eighty-fye central station plants an
two hundred and forty electric railway
flrures which, of course, would be muc
larger if brought down to later date.
vivid idea is given Of the great variet
still existing in electrical apparatus b
the fact that in such states as NewYor
end Pennsylvania no fewer than sixtee
different kinds are running in the st;
tions to produce light and five differer
kinds for electric railway work.
The tendency during the last fly
years, says the Pittsburgh Dispatch, ha
been toward a reduction in tie numbt
Of Systems" but as fundamental pa
ents expire and the industry is MOI
generally thrown open 1t is not unlikel
there will be as great variety of dyn
mosiand lamps as there now is Of steal
engines or of locomotives. These ne
systems, however, will be sold on
l,7sis Of ordinary manufacturing prof
Eliless radical departures arc made, #
tie time when either charlatan or
genius could put a system togeth'
End get nine million dollars for it o.
l.and has gone by. Upto the presel
pasiod much Of the apparatus has hi
acwhere in its selling price the iten
cash or stock given out to the i
go, l,,,d 80 ,oefl,r c.,1,a, ante fh