Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-10-29

tected from the scorching rays of the
sun, cold and rain, and not at all likely
TO be disturbed by enemies. IL he is
unable to travel, the monotony of his
life is often broken by the gentle mo-
ton of his snug house as it is tossed
about by the wind. If Seesid's sur
roundings are such as are described
live shut up in tiny dark room like a
hermit?
You have heard the story of the man
who suddenly found n large pile of gold
in a cave and gloated ever his riches till,
all Mt once, he discovered that he was
alone and without the ability to es-
cape. He could not eat the gold, nor
was he able to buy food with it. AL
though rich, he must perish by starva-
ton. Seesid was more fortunate. His
'.cave" was not supplied with'gold, but
was lined all over with the incest kind
OF food. All he had to do was to taste
and eat until satisfied, then lie and en-
| joy it. AS he ate and grew he needed
| more room, and the room enlarged
much after the fashion of the shell of an
oyster or snail.
The story of Secsid may seem like q
fairy tale, but it is oil true in every
| particular, as any observing boy or
girl may learn, who has the opportuni-
| ty md takes the pains to examine
the heart-leaved willow or the Can
adian golden rods from July to the
following spring. Seesid's mother,
whom he never saw nor knew, by what
mortals call instinct" bored hole
with her own little augur in the ten
der tip of the growing willow or the
young stem of the golden rod, and in
| it laid tiny egg. The plant to the
| left in the cut shows q round bunch
in the stem of a golden rod bigger than
your thumb, and within such an cdd
thing may be found tiny worm or
grub. The plant TO the right looks
much like cone Of the Austrian pine.
The pine cone bears seeds, the willow
cones bear small! insects. When the
egg was laid in the tip of the stem
from which Seesid was to hatch, that
part of the willow did not die, and
thus get rid of its enemy, as we would
suppose, but Immediately changed it's
mode of growth. The stem ceased
growing larger, and what would have
become the long, slender leaves grew
| broad and short, thick and close to-
| gether, making for Seesid snug house
an inch and half high.
Isn't it queer that the willow, when
| thus wounded, will Immediately change
| the habit of some of its buds to fur
nish lodging and food for its enemy?
We do not know, but possibly in SINE
way, sometime, Seesid may do some
thing to benefit the willow. The will
low shouldn't be very particular about
it, for there are many uninjured
branches and plenty Of good leaves be-
sides the small number which grow
into cones.
Seesid eats and grows and mouths to
full size, remaining dormant with the
willow through the storms Of winter.
After the melting SHOWS have run into
the river or sunk into the soft earth
and the heat Of spring begins to revive
dormant buds, we suppose Seesid be-
gins to want to know more of the ont
side world. AS long as he needed it,
the little room furnished food, but,
Iate in autumn, the cone hardened and
died. Seesid was comfortable and
doubtless as happy as lonely mites can
be. In his perfected new dress, supplied
with two gauze-like wings and small
eyes, Seesid with his newly acquired
Jaws tears a doorway through the hard
walls, enjoys the light for minute,
and with confidence in his untried
wings leaves his little cone forever.
His new mode of life requires food Gif-
ferent from that furnished BY the old
home. Seesid seeks something good
to eat and companions of his own kind,
and soon more eggs are placed in more
young twigs of growing willow, to pro-
duce more young Seesids.
Next time you see the bunch on the
goldcn-rod stalk ~ the cone or the will
low, pull it apart and take look at tho
interesting little insect. Seea.d.-Chi,
cago Record.