The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-30

LIS habits seem to closely resemble those
of our common water rat FrequentinS
the rivers and streams of Southern ana
Eastern Australia, il makes its nest in a
burrow scooped out in a bank. Here
mother platypus lays two flexible white
shelled eggs, about equal to a martins
in size. When first Matched the tiny duck
bills are very ill-prepared to face the Vi
cissitudes of this cruel world, for they
are both blind and naked However, in
the course of time, and under the tender
care of their watchful parents, they event
ually issue from the nest hole into the
water, there to frolic and feed just like
other duckbills.
Leaving the mammalia, we find that all
existing birds lay eggs. OF these the os-
trich lays the biggest.
The common cuckoo lays The relatively
smallest egg. For instance the jackdaw
and the cuckoo are about equal in Size
yet the jackdaws eggs is some five OF six
times larger than the cuckoo's. The fact
that the cuckoo is wont to deposit It's
eggs in the nests of birds very much
smaller than itself doubtless Ia measure
explains this
The relatively largest egg is laid by the
! kiwi. a curious New Zealand bird The
egg is five inches long, although the bird
itself only measures about twenty-seven
inches.
Crocodiles' eggs may be seen in most
museums. They are white and hard
shelled, and about the equal in size to
| those of a goose.
The amphibious turtles lay flexible, soft
shelled eggs, while, on the other hand, the
eggs of tortoises are hard-shelled.
The eggs of most fishes are small, soft
and more or less inconspicuous, but this
| lack of individuality is amply compensated
by the remarkable numbers deposited.
A striking exception TO the piscine rule
| of numerous, inconspicuous eggs is found
| amongst the sharks and their allies, for
the eggs of these ferocious ocean denizens
are Large in size, few in number, and
| laid singly, instead of in masses"
To discuss a possible reason for this
! difference would be outside the purpose of
this article, but it may be noted in passing
that nature has very plainly written law
under which rapacious flesh-eating ami
mails reproduce their kind to a very limit
ed extent in comparison with many of the
harmless vegetable feeders
Among the fiotsam and jetsam of our
seashores, a curious horney pod shaped
like a bolster, with long, spiraly-coiled
tendril at each, corner, may often be
found. This strange object, popularity
| known as "a mermaid purse" is the egg
case of the common dogfish.
Another similar object, but with short,
pointed arms al the corners in place of
| tendrils, is equally common and is the
! egg of the thornback skate.
1t Will be noticed that both these eggs
have projections from their corners. What
| is the meaning of this? Every poultry
| rearer is aware that eggs must not be
shaken or the delicate germ of life will be
| destroyed, and the eggs rendered useless
for sitting.
| In like manner, if the eggs of sharks
|
! pillows, or dashed ,rudely upon the rocks,
they would very speedily be rendered un-
| fertile. Therefore nature has provided
| corner projections-spokes and tendrils, as
| the case may be--and these, becoming en-
! tangled among fronds of seawood, moor
the egg, and keep it riding safe from harm
| like ship at anchor.
! If The eggs of molusks are varied in APP
pearance those of insects are infinitely
more So Moreover, many of them are mar
velously beautiful in form and design
| This beauty cannot be other than UNI
| known and unenjoyed by the great ma
| jority, for il is hidden from the eye un-
! aided by magnifying glass or microscope,
! whilst an attempt to describe it in words
| is a well-nigh hopeless task.
Who would suppose that the egg of our
! q mmon white butterfly, the cabbage pest,
| was a thing of wondrOus beauty. YET such
]
| leaf no need to trouble about so small
| matter"-such would be the verdict of hui
| man intellect. But nature's ways are DIFF
! ferent; the smaller the object, the greater
| the care she seems TO exercise.
| In point of beauty the butterflies eggs
rank far above the ostrich's, despite the
vast difference in size. Magnify the speck
| on the cabbage leaf, and You find blunt
ed cone, perfect in shape, the surface
traced by a score of longitudinal ribs.
| Why these ribs? Why this shape? Would
not plain globe have answered every
| purpose?
| Three obvious questions; and yet reason
retires abashed, almost before we have
formed the thoughts into words.
Examine nature In any of her phases,
| and the end is always the same-we dis
cover. sooner or later, that lack of knowl-
edge has reared up an impossible barrier
| in our path.