The sun., 1900-12-30
SOME UNDERGROUND FOLK. -
water Dogs That Keep Springs Flowing
Cradles Of the Bee Family.

Though the water dogs services have
not been 40 fully recognized by the wise men.
rural folk believe that the world owes him
much He Ia not beautiful benefactor.
His head is round and fattish. his mouth wide.
his feet lumpish and clumsy. his Shiny coat
muddy brown on top. dirty white underneath.
II he has eyes they are invisible. In motion
he is aegravatingly slow. He is shaped
something like a very clumsy lizard. with
greater mass al the shoulders. and a sharp.
almost rat-like. tail Nature possibly made
him So much for use that She thought beauty
would be wasted on him He lives. moves,
has his being and works In the deepest dark
ness His work IL to keep open the water
veins which supply springs and wells Occa-
sionally, very occasionally he permits him
self the diversion OF coming to the light.
opening his mouth az though gaping at the
e%y wan Sa G sl%s then the s
when the whole earth i sodden and water
seeps everywhere Then he may scramble
doubt into a belief that here - more water
territory which he must map and survey
from n well in which the water is low Well
owners ALWAYS lower him carefully 20 the
bottom, rejoicing IN the belief that he has
faith that il the water dog were mal,Ieaird.
revenge would leave the veins to choke. or
lead oN the water into new outlets
Wells dug in the limestone lands OF the
middle Sonth often harbor Ieless fish. OK
aoh, like those caught in the streams of the
Mammoth Cave, some eeoios@ts are of opln-
ion that the whole central valley from the
Great Lakes to the Gulf has underground
a great sheet Of fresh water. II thi- he true.
the elesS fish; no doubt inhabit the big
subt"rranean lake. and swim, out Of II into
the underground running, which thread tho
upper limestone formations
Air give to the earth deni,ens quite as
wonderful ~ fho-e tnAt swim IN the waters
under the earth, the sand wasp. for example,
which digs a separate burrow for each of
fully with in>e"t-. de o~i,s the cs -.
sea the hurro and gGes TO work afreSh.
or Crasshoppers twice a large n herself.
81" does 10! k'll them, om patrdl, l. xe. ,ha ,hsm
nS naTf he ." need sni ns"u %; her an"
ne,t"r. Madame / written advi-edly. 4,
fcmalcs live through the winter season.
alternating where and how the, may. Awake
ia ,priug. Madame'- fr,t care ia 10 seek
n sum, spot avn, from pr,ing o. cs, tunnel
into II q few ln"l.'. aud shhpca round cham
Der q, the end Of ~" tunnel I Then he builds
ard ard la'- worker egg IN each Wfile thss:
egg, hatch he give. her whole mind and
Il low 20 a not to exhaust herself When
the worker take wing the ne-t grows raplqr.
and .,r"ng'h for egg la, ins Tows'd, nlid:.
summer she Laws eggs that will k".c' Que
perfect insects oi both ~eNe-. Then. :sr
mi ion accomplished. .hc folds her wingI
and die, The MALE die few daNS after
the come 90 maturt', the WORKERS "f al
brood and the weaker Of the oun9 queens
peri ia frost, leaving the trouger to survive
aud Keep up hurble-bec traditions
The nin"r bec has IN Oh the same haht
Ia" u Gems perforte do all the work. >iu,s
n" iral'~ have feet untitled for tunnclInc.
Rat Instead OF aNer egg cells tho miners
rudts tneir nest walls with finely chewed
"l~th, tien Il the whole space With mature
of 'ey and pollen. in which 'he egg. foat
nh ! iev hat n Yellow Jackets. or iriit
wa .r. n Ilong which n, 80 only queens live over
winter, DIG out hsnher in earth very early
IN INC 'prlng, then bu.ld within II paper n"st..
slirh a the red waSps build above ground.
IL" combs nre swung one T. another A. the
ll'~t l1creaS"-. and inclosed in wall Of coarse
paper half a. inch thick If al Tho end -
summer there are Iarvs. in tho call- ~. Old
Nap~ snatch them or' aud hy with them
e,ea'th S,lriac" where they lrlN" thCn
h' nrN"ur"d nv ~" birds Iu~' n'f warns
! zen agatn~t leaving ~. gruhs n ~r'rye
hsnos sAsy oheoss for ehsm . oulck cr asssa,