Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-03-24
THE DRAGON AND THE HlPPOGRIFF.

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New Century Club on Thursday after
noon on "The Dragon and the Hip
pogritf," or, in other words, on the
harmful creatures our ignorant iniagi
nation creates out Of the innocent
vegetable and animal life surrounding
US. We are 20 much better for being
in close touch with nature; there is
nothing that makes for aaner view OF
life, or that IL mentally. morally, or
physically more wholesome. Nature is
40 fascinating to those who have learned
to know her; when We are mentally
drained by overwork and frstted by
many small cares nothing will renew
the spirit like country walk, bit OF
lichen. bird. flower, things that
make no claim on our attention, will
bring refreshment to eyes and brain.
Yet We have fear Of things about US il
We do not know them to he innocent.
This is a relic OF fetichiem. People
teach their children not to touch plants
they do moi know for fear they are
poisonous. but the only plants in this
| locality that are poisonous tU the touch
are the poison ivy, which ia so common
that everyone may easily learn it, and
the poison sumsc which is very rare.
These are absolutely the only ones that
il will do US any injury to touch, and
all persons are not susceptible to these.
We may run against u thistle or a
nettle and regret it for the time being.
There is not much temptation to eat
plants, but if you do it is az we'll TO
avoid the seeds and roots; the plant ia
jealous of its propagating pdwers, and
il it does harbor any poisonous sub
stance, stores it in these. Comparatively
few do this, but it is we'll to avoid the
indiscriminate tasting Of plantH
have theory, which, though not
accepted by Hcientists, believs to be
true, which is that no colored berries
are poisonous because their color 10 to
attract the birds. OF the mushroom
family, although there are several
varieties unsuitable for food, there ia
none positively dangerous, but the
Arminita family and Of this, out OF &c
or 80 varieties only fivs or six are really
poisonous. But it is best to avoid all
growing from the poison cup"
But it ia not plants that people fear
the most. for they cannot run or fly
after one. Theirs is the fearful "dragon
fly, or "snakr SERVANT or ''snakt
doctor" or devils darning. needle. -
There has been hut one attempt to give
it good name and that ia the 'mos.
quito hawk, and yet it ia perfectly
harmless; it has no power to inflict the
slightest injury, and il you will catch
one and examine it you will see that il
has marvellous beauty. You can look
down into its eyes and sse the prettiest
iridescent colors that change with the
changing light like living flashing
gems. You may have looked at one
when it was dead, but the color dies
out of them then. and much OF the
interest is gone Have the courage tc
catch ons and overcome your old
antipathy aud change feared enemy
into friend. People are afraid Of
spiders. hut they rarely bite and wher
they do small harm is done. would
rather be bitten by one than pricked
with pin that had been lying on the
floor of street car. watched spidsi
dealing with grasshopper and it took
six bites to paralyZe it; how many Dc
you think it would take to paralyze q
man? The spider lie not so bad as be
has been painted and ia no interestirp
and intelligent that il you overcome
your fear you will find him friend
worth knowing. The house centipode,
though having poison gland, is nc
more dangerous than the spider.
The seventeen year locustn il
another maligned insect. He cumes
with big W on his back, foreteliine
war, in the popular belief, and be car
generally strike war somewhere il
the world. In every locust visitation
we hear Of some persons being stunr
by them who 90 10 the hospital to bt
treated. If bee had stung them the,
would have clapped on some mud Of
ammonia and thought no more about it.
Probably it was not the locust who die
the stinging, but the great sphex wasp,
VINO preys upon tine locusta and who
may have flown safely away and left hi
innocent victim to bear the blame. 1h,
sphex wasp has plan for keeping hi
meat freeh that beats our cold storage
lie drives q succession OF stings into
caterpillar that paralyzes. but does no
kill him, go he can dine of him at biz
leisure.
The toad lie another dragon In ou
path, though he lie perfectly harmless
not even bequeathing warts to thos,
who handle him. We all feel glow
of conscious virtue when we have killsC
a snake, no matter Of what kind, yet il
this locality there are but two harmful
kinds and they are almost extinct, th,
rattlesnake and copperhead. There il
possibly third, tue little HARLEQUIN
snake, chequered with red. white anc
black. Bats are another misrenreHentec
family; they are in no way dangerous
and il the belief he true that they ar,
sometimes infected with parasites the,
are not of kind likely to leave thea
for any other than similar species.
"HID" M'COY MARRIED.