The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-09-04
Highest Of all Leavening PoweLates U. s. Govt Report
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ABSOLUTELY PURE
UMBRELLA CARRIERS.
ANTS, SEA URCHINS AND ANEMOES AFFECT
SUNSHADES

ANTS, SEA URCHINS AND ANEMOES AFFECT
| SUNsHADES.
"One of the most interesting sights
| have witnessed" remarked a natu-
ralist to a group of listeners was an
army of ants marching through a
South American jingle. l had been
out all day hunting butterflies with a
native guide, and, almost overcome by
the intense heat, had stretched myself
out beneath great mass of vines
which hung from a large tree, when 1
noticed column of fants moving along
at my feet.
''There was nothing remarkable in
this, as it was an ant country, where
they literally overran everything, but
these ants, as though recognizing the
tropical heat, each bore highly color
ed umbrella in such position that it
was more or less shield and protec-
tion. The umbrella was bit or leaf
that had been carefully bitten out in
a semioval shape, and was an umbrella
in fancy only, hundreds being carried
to line subterranean nest deep in the
heart of the jingle.
''One of these nests" continued the
naturalist, II found by following up
the train and saw the saubas, as these
ants are called, pouring into it, each
holding the umbrella, which was about
as large as ten cent piece vertically,
resembling soldiers raising banners.
"There were three kinds of ants.
Those who carried the leaves were la
borers, but workers, and they merely
deposited the bit of leaf in the nest,
where it was taken in hand by another
kind of ant, the skilled carpenters of
the tribe, who placed the leaves on the
wall as a thatching and covered them
with globules of earth. Some of the
nests built in this way are 2 feet high
and or feet in diameter-marvels
of constructive ability"
Among the marine animals are many
that construct over and about them
selves coverings which might not in
aptly be termed umbrellas. This is
particularly noticeable in the sea ane-
mones At times they are free and
unimcumbered with foreign objects at
others they are completely covered
with plates of sand, which they take
from the ground about them, or bits of
seaweed, which forms more or less pro-
lection or covering.
When the anemones desire to to as
sumo these countless umbrellas, they
bend over their tentacles and touch
the ground, many bits of shell and
sand adhering. These are lifted up
and placed upon the sides of the crea-
ture until finally it appears to be COW
cred with a mosaic which, while pro-
lection, serves as disguise. making
the otherwise conspicuous animal re-
semble the rocks about it.
BY far the most interesting animal
possessing this habit is the sea urchin
that looks like pincushion, being COW
cred with longer or short slender bris-
ties according to the species. How the
sea urchin, with it's stiff spines, can
| lift scores of minute stones and bits of
! shell, distributing them over its body
in such numbers that collectively they
form an umbrellalike covering, would
appear a my ystery which, however, is
solved upon an examination Of the ur-
chin. The spines are not the only or
gans, but from among them rise two
other suckers with little disks attached
to them, and other organs that have
long stains upon the end or top Of
which is perched little feeler with
three biting teeth. These feelers, sta
toned on the lower part of the urchin,
pick up particles of sand and shell and
pass them to others higher up, and so
on by continued passing the piece of
shell travels up to the dome of the an
imal and there finds a place among the
spines. This is repeated an indefinite
II lmber of times until the urchin is
completely covered by a strong UNI
brella, poised, as it were, upon the
spines, atfording more or less protec-
ton. Sometimes the animal disdains
one of shell or stone and spreads over
itself canopy Of weed,a ribbon OF
green zostera or one of brighter hue-a
decoration more or less aesthetic.