The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-09-09
SOME FANTASTIC ANIMALS.
Cyrano Among BEASTS - Snakes
That waIk-AppaIIing Insect In


That waIk-AppaIiing Insect tn
dustry.
Horses. CRATES and osirlches have the
largest eyes OF all terrestrial animals. but
among marine animals, there are cepha-
lopods or ink fists. which have eyes ss
large as a plate. A tiger with q glass eye
Is something OF a curiosity: there Is one
AZ the Stuttgart menagerie. and its glass
eye looks as fierce as les real one.
A perfect cyrano among beasts is the
coau. which Is found on Devils Island:
for its size-about that OF a cat-it has
the largest nose Of any known animal.
Its head Is pyramid shaped, with Jaws
ike an alligator's. II uses It's forepaws
t. Curry its food 10 It's mouth as a SPUR
rel does. This animal Is found on the
Island Dreyfus made famous. and nowhere
else on earth. At the Museum Of Natural
History. Paris. there IS single specimen,
which Is attracting much attention.
A snake. which uses its backbone for
a walking stick. Is the puf-addor Of
South Africa. the most deadly serpent
In the world. IL can climb. swim. and
more wonderfully still actually walk. II
moves forward without any deviation or
wriggling. Wave-llke motions pass along
his sides, or his ribs move backwards
aud forwards like legs. beneath the skin:
these motions are similar TO the undula-
Tory motion OF the legs OF a mililpede
The snake does not bend his spine while
walking, nor deviate one jot from a
straight swimmer.
CRATES can perform as many gymnastlc
feats as a circus contort.onist-that a.
with their necks. which are so easily
broken, that when the animal wishes 10
commit suicide. II twists It's neck about
until II snaps and when defense Is no
longer possible. the animal destroys r..
self a full grown girnffe Is never can
tured: the animal prefering death There
are hue few specimens In captivity. At
one time. there was only one In England.
but few IN this continent. and only two
In this country. There Is no animals In
menagerie which gives its keeper more
trouble. The freight bill for one giraffe
from the wilds OF South Africa. 20 the
Arsenal. Central Park. would be about
7.5co-a siif price for one curiosity.
Quite as rare as a giraffe Is a black
lioness. There Is only one In captivity:
this Is In the Jardln des Plantes. Paris
Lions OF this color are found only I'm the
Interior OF the Sahara, and are scarce
even there.
The industry shown by ants IL appeil.
ing. In South America. they have been
known 10 construct a tunnel three miles
In length. The small red ant OF India
T. so small that IL takes about twelve OF
them 60 carry on a tiny grain Of wheat
yet they will carry one OF these grains
1000 yards 10 their nest. one ant. which
was placed in a saucer with some larvae.
worked from IN the morning until 10 NJ
night. and carried ISL Of the larvae 20 her
nest.
Tho largest known insect Is the elephant
beetle OF Venezuela. which sometimes
weighs half a pound. The Ceylon vel.
low spider weighs nearly half a pound
Now and then one has been found 10
weigh nine ounces.
The insect with the shortest life Is the
ephereme OF Gernany--ive hours Is the
limit OF life. and IL takes no nourishment
during this time. II IL true, however.
that before taking the form OF a butter.