The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-26

fellow that moved like pendulum to and
fro and then stopped. I touched IL gently
with a switch / heidi whereupon 1t de-
lberately began to swing it's huge body
imparting to the entire web a vibratory
motion which increased in rapidity until
the body of the spider began to grow
fainter, and in a few moments became in
visible. 1t was all very simple when un-
derstood; the spider when alarmed be-
gan TO swing, gradually increasing the
motion until II disappeared or could not
be followed with the eye. Thinking the
case might be exceptional / again touch
ed the spider and again 1t literally swung
itself out Of sight.
Crawling beneath the web, I confronted
the next spider which also was yellow or
saffron i'm color, with black velvet-like
markings; hanging ia the sun like great
topaz, its web dotted with the remains OF
many feasts empty skeletons of insects
bits Of pearly fish-scales, perhaps drop
ped by some passing bird, a delicate feath-
err and motley array of flies and other
insect-folk. AT first the spider paid me
scant attention; then / saw slight con-
vulsive movement of its legs as 1t inn
parted the first long swing to its ham,
mock-llke web that put this wonderful
llfe-saving device, for this 1t was, i'm
motion. 1t was the spiders defense and
protection from enemies. Certain birds
undoubtedly preyed upon the spiders, and
this faculty OF mysterlously disappearing
had on more than one occasion served it
Well could easily imagine the aston
ishmsnt of the bird when, darting down
to seize the plump and snowy spider, TO
find that 1t had slipped away.
There was much in this street Of yellow
spiders to distract the mind from the in
tense heat that poured down from the all
most vertical sun. In the middle Of the
path, beyond the turn, grew a clump Of
cactus, with here and there a ripe fruit
rich in the purple of full maturity-A brill
liant contrast to the green leaves. As Z
stood watching the hermit-erabs dropping
from the bushes and scurrying away over
the sand, thought / saw ripe fruit OF
the cactus move; then, to my amazement
It passed directly out of sight, not after
the fashion of the spiders, but by slipping
around one of the big leaves. / almost ex-
pected to see the others follow 1t, but
nothing of the kind occurred. / walked
along and placed myself in position to
see behind the broad, fiat, pear-shaped
leaf There was the purple object now
moving cautiously around with the evil
dent intention of keeping itself out Of
sight and then / saw that it was a crab.
a crab with a purple back the exact tint
Of the fruit, while its general shape, when
the legs were tucked up beneath the body.
made the crab a mimic Of the cactus fruit.
a. protective resemblance so perfect that
the crab was safe from sharp-eyed enc
'iAANSs anu A. HAOulu nave passed IL by mad
II remained quiet; but the phenomenon Of
moving fruit attracted by attention and
led to its discovery
For some distance. followed this street
OK spiders, creeping beneath the webs
when ! could and everywhere these tricks
Of nature to protect the defenseless were
apparent. The eggs of the gulls simula-
ted the sand In color; the little mantis,
which chung 10 the big cedar, was the
exact tint Of the leaves and defied detec-
lion until accidentlly brushed off over
al life in the secluded spot nature had
thrown her protecting mantle of mimicry.
The Galena Republic recounts the
death OF DIR. ]. w. Hutchins, a medical
nan Of Cherokee county who was prom
nent in variety Of ways, says the KAN
sas City Journal. The Republic contents
Itself with the moraizing remark, He
mad his faults-and who hasn't?" but the
cherokee Courier goes into details and
furnishes the astonishing information that
Or. Hutchlns drank $50 bottles of beer
Turing the three days preceding his death.
Years ago." says the Courier ''he con-