The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-04

are supplied with actual muscles, giving
them much more powerful and quick con-
troll over their color than most other ami
mails The chameleon can change to the
brown of the bark or to the dark-green of
the leaves of the tree upon which 1t lives:
but in those stories making the chameleon
scarlet on occasion the writers have drawn
upon their imaglnations, because the ami
NAL capnot produce scarlet.
The Sole of the English coast when
placed upon a gravelly bottom, assumes
the color of the bottom, making itself in
exact harmony with its surroundings
Place the sole in an aquarium with light
yellow sand; it would turn just that color
Take this same sole out of the aquarium
and put him on a white porcelain plate
the chromatophores will contract down to
the very utmost limit and make the animal
almost white.
A sole was found entirely out of har-
mony with the bottom over which he liv-
ed. Its color would be light when placed
on a dark bottom. and dark when placed
over a light bottom. 1t was found later
that the animal was blind. Other speci-
mems have been blindfolded and proof af-
forded that the harmonization was guild
ed entirely by the animals own eye
sight
In excitement the wattles around the
head and neck of the turkey become deep
scarlet, due to the rush of blood to these
ors.
The blushing on our own faces is due
to some nervous emotion producing par
tial paralysis of the muscles controlling
the caliber of the capillaries and these.
being relieved of compression, becoming
enlarged, an excessive flow of blood, with
high color, results.
The polar fox has two general colors-
white in winter and dark in. summer
both very important to the animal. For
merly 1t was considered this was due to
the fact that dark colors part mort cas-
lily with their heat than do light colors
This theory is now abandoned The
change of color is due to the action of
entirely to the action OF cold.
The dark summer coat of the polar fox
IS IN general harmony with the ground of
the rocky arctic regions where the sun has
melted off the snow. The same thing APP
pies when the animal becomes white and
runs over the snow, when it is almost i'm
possible to see it,
Inc lemming is a rodent common
throughout Northern Europe, Asia and
North America. In Sir John Ross expe-
dition he kept a lemmlhg in the cabin
for long time in winter The animal re-
tanned its summer pelt of dark. brown
color, in harmony with the rocks upon
which 1t lived. In February he placed
II in cage on deck, with the mercury
thirty degrees below zero. Next morning
its cheeks and shoulders were patched
with white, and at the end of the week it
was nearly all white. The hair itself had
actually turned white due TO the forcing
in of air bubbles through the shafts of the
hair, breaking up the light. Later on a
growth OF white hair came out from be-
low, gradually replacing the hair that had
beeen changed so suddenly. The cold of
the winter really produced this white
hair, for the protection of the skin
l. 10.
coloring, being snow white in winter and
almost indistingushable in the snow,
while the summer plumaged ptarmigan
can be within two or three feet of the
hunter and invisible. / remember gum
ing once in Greenland, when some of these
ptarmigans were located, and after wait
ing awhile for a shot, we finally fred at
the group, when right around us within
six feet, six of them few up, unnoticed be
fore, because Of the perfect harmony of
their celebration with the ground.
The Caddis worm, the larva of the dra-
gon fly, abundant In the waters Of our
parks, wraps itself in tubes made out Of
particles of sand, so that while it crawls
around on the sandy bottom we cannot
see 1t.
The common spider crab of our coasts
has it's outer covering rough and covered
with peculiar hairy hooks and spines. 1t
will put seaweeds upon itself If one
found covered with green seaweed be
placed in an aquarium with reddish
brown seaweed it will strip itself OF the
green and put on the brown so as to har-
monize itself with It's surroundings.
Color mimicry exists among snais. One
species in Cuba affords a great variety OF
blues, reds, blacks and greens-more or
less arboreal-as IT lives upon different col
ored fruits as yellow or red bananas, green
fruits. and green leaves.
There are snails actually resembling
thorns. This variety remained for "A long
time undiscovered until someone. carefully
examining some Of the bushes noticed the
fellows walking around upon the branches
Animals will have some part OF the body
that they can well spare brilliantly colored
for the attraction Of some enemy. This
part, when grasped, Is readily detached
from the body. and while losing the part
the sufferer escapes with its life.
certain snail has upon the end OF its
tail a bright red spot, which comes of al
most on touching IL. A bird seeing this will
seize the only object It sees. because the
animal will be on a green leaf The snail
will part with this brilliant piece of color
ing and drop to the ground. and thus save
its life. f.l 81 idgaolf
Lizards likewise lose their tails to their
enemies. and thus save their alter ego.
The squirrel has a very conspicuous tail
The Germans have dubbed the animal
Eichhoernchen-"th little horn on the oak
tree" A squirrel on the run has is tail
spread out behind II. An enemy SELLING