New-York tribune., 1898-11-23
NEW PUBL ICATIONS.
SCIENTIFIC KNOW EDGE IN POPULAR
F( RM
FLAsHL1GHrs oN NArrRE. -Ry Grant Allen

FLASHLIGHTS on NATURE. By Grant cram Alien er
s2 Doubleday & Mcclure Company
Every one who may properly he called
naturalist possesses keen powers of perception
but only a few of them are able so to describe
what they see as 10 make other people want 10
study the same things The secret Of the latter
gift is twofod. Its rossessor Is alive 10 the
dramatic aspects OF natural phenomena, and ne
is master OF the faculty of expression. MT
Allen has proven his endowment in THESE re-
spects by The Story Of the Plants ana o'hei
writings and reveals 1t afresh in this latest COL
lection Of papers The comedy and tragedy or
insec, life and plant life the peril TO which the
subjects of his observation are exposed. the in
cenjous means OF defence employed the artful
cruelty of the spider. the tender devotion OF
parental ants TO their young. the surprising So
cial relations existing between the honey -gather-
ing aph.s and tie creatures who reap the bene-
fits Of its industry. and the engineering SIKH OF
familiar insects are presented by MN IN sue"
o manner as to delight as well as TO instruct
In seven Of these nev tales he devotes himself
to insects tn aphis spider. wasp. ant mos
quito. earwig and Hessian fly; in one TO pli"'
the shrike; in three to plants. the cloVers whose
curious method Of fertilization IS the salient
point Of the narrative. the gorse and a delicate
Alpine flower tina; thrus,s Its pink and blue bells
nm through a laver Of ice: and in one chapter to
the state Of things at The bottom Of frozen
non6 With judicial fairness Mr.. Allen shows
TINT many creatures which have rather bad
repu,ations nevertheless exhibit notable virtues
The aphis. a green bug that infests rose-bushes'
IS an exceedingly amiahle thing, as well as
wonderful In many particulars. ms is an III
sect. for instance, that multiphes sometimes
simply by splitting tiny pieces on from l'seH'
and sometimes lays eggs that hatch The readl-
ness with which they give up to tn" ants-if the
latter approach them on the subject in gentle
way-the stores Of celectable juice extracted
from the rose stem. is rarely matched by human
benevolence Then. again. there is the butchef
bird which has habit Of lmpaling the mice
flies worms and other prey that 1t captures
and keeping its victims alive until the bird. its
spouse or its young gets a chance TO eat the
victims up The shrike has no icebox, and
seems to realize that food Will keep from spoil
ing so long as Il IS alive. The redeeming trait
OF this creature however. is not its sagacity'
but its devotion to its mate and nestlings.
Fathers Of family" says Mr.. Allen. quoting
Talleyrand. "are capable of anything Inc
female bird Of the species in question appears
to be as Indifferent TO the writings and groahs
Of her captives as is the male 1T is her husl-
ness to provide for her young. and she does 1t as
ruthlessly as II she were a civilized human be-
ing"
In four Of the families which are discussed
in "Flashlights on Nature the female does not
balonc to the weaker sex. It is the female spider
that spins webs for unwary flies. and in a tit or
emotional insanity eats up her inoffending hus-
band 1t is the female mosquito that intrudes
a poisonous proboscis into the human cuticle
Among the wasps and ants less unlovely traits
are displayed but the same is dominant
The wasp like the bee is ruled by queen
She gathers the material for the beginning or
a nest With powerful jaws she cheWs up WOOD
into pulp. and mixes ii with eummy substance
secreted 10y herself: and thus the foundations OF
the house are laid. Then few eggs are hatched
out The young are nurtured, the work or con-
struction is carried a little further until the
queen mothers progenY-imperfecuy developed
femaes-are able TO assist her In the undertak-
ing. And through the greater part of the sea-
son the home Of the original papermakers OF
creation is as exclusively a woman's realm as
that Of Tennyson's Princess. 1t is late in the
year before any male wasps permitted to
develop. And 50 among the ants The males
are shortlived They are practically Of no az
count The excavation. nursing Of young. fight
ing foraging for food and all the other legitimate
business Of the commonwealth is conducted by
imperfect females But there is a difference
in the two forms Of government. The wasps
and bees have but one mother and ruler or
queen. whereas the ants have several and thus
manage their interests on the republican plan.
The AM. however. practises slavery, but mas
much as a certain Well-knOwn republic OF hu-
ma. creatures did the same thing until about
thirty-five wears ago. perhaps the less said by
MIR. Aliens American readers on this subject the
better.
In the chapter on the Sodanella il is pointed
out that some plants stow away starchy ma
terlal in their leaves. seeds or roots for future
use. The slow chemical combination Of this
substance with oxygen is form Of combustion.
and produces warmth. 1t is by this means that
the tiny Alpine Hover IS able TO melt passage
for itself up through the ice and find its way TO
liberty and sunshine The chapters on the
clover and vegetable life at the bottom Of
pond afford other illustrations Of the wondrous
variety OF Natures methods for protecting and
propagatng lie. Most people" says Mr. Al
len. regard plants as mere rooted things. with
no will of their own. and no power Of move
ment I'm reality. plants though usually more
or less attached t. tho soil. have almost as
many tricks and manners of their own the
mass of animals" Frederick Enocks illustra-
tions admirably supplement Mr.. Aliens descrp-
tions and for the chapter on the Hessan ny
his careful observation has enabled him to fur
nish the author with the facts well.