The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-11
SOME FANTASTIC afiaAlS.
Cyrano Among Ben nsis-Spakes that Can
Waik-ApralIing Insect Industry.

NNiA-apEHittnS tnsect INDUSTRY.
Horses. giraftes. and ostriches have the
largest eyes OF all terrestrial animals. but
among marine animals there are cephalo-
pods or ink fish, which have eyes as
large as a plate. A tiger with a glass
eye is something OF a curiosity; there is
one at the Stuttgart menagerie. and its
glass eye looks as fierce as its real one.
A perfect Cyrano among beasts is the
coati which is found on DEVILS Island;
for it's size-about that of a cat-it has
the largest nose of any known animal.
Its head is pyramid-shaped. with jaws
like an alligator's. 1t uses it's forepaws to
carry its food to its mouth, as squirrel
does. This animal is found on the island
Dreyfus made famous and nowhere else
On earth. At the Museum Of Natural His
tory, Paris, there is a single specimen,
which is attracting much attention.
a snake which uses its backbone for
walking stick is the puff adder of South
Africa, the most deadly serpent in the
world. 1t can climb. swim. and, more won
derful still, actually walk. 1t moves for
ward without any deviation or wriggling
Wave-like motions pass along his Sides
or his ribs move backward and forward
like legs beneath the skin; these mo-
tiOns are similar TO the undulatory motion
of the legs of a millipede. The snake does
not bend his spine while walking nor de-
viate one jot from q straight swimmer
Giraffes can perform as many .gymnastic
| fcats as a circus contortionist-that is.
/ with their necks, which are so easily
I broken that when the animal wishes TO
commit suicide it twists its neck about
until it snaps, and when defense is no
| longer possible, the animal destroys Itself
A full-scoWn giraffe is never captured
the animal preferring death. There are
! but few specimens in captivity. At one
/ time there was only one in England. but
/ few on the continent. and only two in
/ this country. There is no animal in a
menGgeTie which gives its keeper more
/ trouble The freight bill for one giraffe
| from the wilds of South Africa to the Ar
senal, Central Park, would be about s. 500
"a stiff price for one curiosity.
| Quite as rare as a giraffe is a black
| lioncss. There is only one in captivity:
| this is in tAe Jardin des Plantes, Paris.
/ Lions of this color are found only In lhe
| interior of the Sahara, and are scarce
even there.
The industry shown by ants is appall-
! ing In South America they have been
| known 10 construct a tunnel three miles
in length. The small red ant of India is
so small that IL takes about twelve af
| them 10 carry OF tiny grain of wheat,
yet they win carry one of these grains
| l,t00 yards to their nest. One ant which
was placed in a saucer with some larvae.
worked from in the morning until 10 a;
night, and carried is7 Of the larvae TO her
nest.
The largest known insect is the elephant
beetle Of Venezuela. which sometimes
weighs half a pound. The Ceylon yellow
spider weighs nearly half pound. Now
and then one has been found TO weigh
nine ounces.
The insect with the shortest life Ia the
ephemere OF Germany-five hours Is the
limit OF life, and II takes no nourishment
during this time. II T. true. however.
that before taking the form OF a butterfly
II has lived three years as a worm Dur
ing this time II lives in or near the
water, the change to an ephemere is so
sudden that one has not the time 10 see IT,