The Portland daily press., 1895-11-16
DEFENCES OF ANIMALS.
Their Curious Weapons and How They
Use Them.

Use Ihem.
Various Senses Affected-A Fight Between
Swans-Emus Can Kick Like Football
Players.
The other evening walked to the top
of the hill to watch the sun set behind
the autumn glory" of the woods. AT
ter the last glowing light had wept the
crimson and gold ON the slopes, I sat
still for few moments, and all at once
became aware of an animal leisurely
walking upon one Of the stone walls
which form the fences between the fields.
My constant companion in such rambles
the opera glass-showed the creature to
be skunk, or, as the natives calls it,
a polecat. Onward the animal came,
with it's long white and black tail lying
along it's back, until 1t was not more
than three yards from where was silent
ly sitting, writes contributor to the N.
| 7. Evening Post. / must have made
some unconscious movement, for sudden
ly it stopped and the tail became erect.
|
the danger signal and retreated little
distance His mephitic majesty appar-
emily was satisfied with the con oession,
\ and walked slowly on, still keeping to
the top of the wall, put with his tail
erect
walked home musing on the curious
means of defence which nature has be-
slowed on some of her SUBJECTS "Dogs
may delight to bark and bite'' in their
conflicts with their enemies; "Bears and
lions may growl and fight'' in self-de-
fence, but here is creature which goes
on it's way peacefully, for even the mon
grel cur of the hunter of "pelts" knows
better than to come to close quarters
with foe which possesses the power Of
emitting one of the most powerful odors
known in the world. And assuredly the
animal seems conscious of it's means of
protector, it acts with such provoking
GOODNESS. There appears to be perfect
control over the power of emitting the
nauseous fluid from the glands which
secrete it, for We have it from excellent
authority that the skunk, when taken
young can be easily trained, and makes
clearly, interesting, and intelligent.pet.
All the Mustelidae are noted forstheir I'M
pleasant smell-otters, badgers, martens,
weasels, and skunks-but out of the
whole number, the last named is the
only one which can actively use it as a
means of defence.
We are accustomed to connect defence
among animals with biting, scratching,
singing, and the like; and consequent
ly are inclined to let slip some interesting
instances in which other means are used.
The toad, when suddenly seized, emits a
yellowish fluid which is acrid enough to
cause irritation of delicate skin. This,
like the fluid of the skunk, is under
the control of thu ANIMAL for I had a
tame toad for several years which would
hop from the wliting-table to my out
stretched hand and sit there quietly until
I placed it down again. Cuttlefsh pos
sess an ink bag from which the cephalopod
elects dark fluid which effectually
conoeals from any disturber of its peace
that inyades it's rocky retreat.
Not only odor, but taste, is called in as
means of protection. tits well known
that some caterpillars are SO nauseous to
the taste that inseotivorous birds even
will not eat them. AnG one of the
strangest facts is that these caterpillars
are not only brightly and attractively
colored in their larval state, but also in
the perfect form.
Two mammals are provided with a
strange means of protection-the porcu-
pine and the hedgehog. The former is
clothed with hairs some of which are
thickened and heightened into the porcu-
pine t'quills'' which figure as pen-hold-
ers.-- A supposition formerly held was
that the creatures had the power of eject
ing these spines, like so many arrows, at
it's enemy but this story must be placed
among the myths. What the porcupine
does is to erect the spines which then
stand up not at right angles but at a
slope over the body, and charge his enc
nv in that very un-Spartan-like way,
backwards Dogs are often seriously in
jured in this way.
The hedgehog, to which Callahan com
pares Prospero's spirits, and Lady Anne
the Duke of Gloucester-the hedge-p pig Foi
Macbeth's witches-is a timid little
European animal about the size OF a
half-grown rabbit. Like the porcuplne,
Fit is clothed in spiny armor from head
to TAIL and at the slightest sign of dan
ger it rolls itself into ball. Violence
will scarcely make it open itself out, but
if water is poured upon it, the animal
uncoils Immediately. Few dogs care tic
, iattack a hedgehog, for the spines prick
like needles The armor Is purely defen-
sive and not an offensive provision.
Any one who has handled hawk Oh
other member of the falcon family knows
how we'll bill and claws can be used.
Even the sparrow-that irrepressible Eng
lish immigrant-will bite and scr atch IL
an incredible way when caught l have
often watched the swan, especially al
breeding time, and have been struck witt
the way in which it keeps intruders al