Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-11
HOW ANIMALS SWIM.
me wonderful Endurance of the
Great Polar Bear,

Inc "ohuerfuI endurance Of the
Great Polar Bear.
From Pea-son's Magazine
Among what are generally considered
purely land animals there is no finer swim
mer than the polar bear This grand
creature. with which everybody is nova
days familiar. spends more than half his
time in the water. performing immense
Journeys across the polar wastes from con-
tnent to continent. The distance he trav-
els from the pack ice to the main coasts
over open water are at times astounding
considering that the body is all the time
immersed in freezing water. known to hu-
man beings as the greatest deterrent to all
long swimS.
The most interesting family OF swimmers
is perhaps the rodents. 1t may be taken
as general rule that IL one member of a
family is a good swimmer all the rest are;
but not SO with regard to the group in
question. for 1t embraces not only such fine
performers as beavers. rats. mice and their
allies. but such regular land lubbers as
squirrels, hares and rabbits
All the good swimmers among the rodents
are also expert divers. and are able. more
over, to raise or depress the body In the
water at Will When swimming at ease
and unsuspicious of danger the water line
passes across the mouth, the middle of the
cheek and the shoulder, disclosing on the
surface rather more than one-thIrd of the
whole body; and though the root of the
tail Is seen. the tail itself Is generally under
the water. excepting when the animal Is
quite stationary. About rats need hardly
speak. SO familiar to everybody are their
habits. The common house rat when he
takes to living on river banks, is almost
as much at home in the water as his
cousin. the water vole; and the same thing
may be said Of mice, notably the water
Shrew.
Among the Indifferent swimmers of this
family the squirrel claims attention. MANY
observers are of opinion that the squirrel
does not swim at all; but that by hopping
on to floating piece of bark and using
ms talI as sail he crosses the widest riv-
erS. Ihis is very pretty story and one
with certain amount Of truth in It IL
nave myself seen squirrels floating down
stream In this way). but that he often at
tains his object thus l very much doubt
Twice, while fishing In the Tay. saw
SQUIRRELS actually swimming across the
river. and their movements struck me as
SO 50. peculiar that I afterward experimental
with them In the water. They were evil
denuy alarmed at the thought Of trusting
themselves to so treacherous an element
ana, at starting. some of them sprang into
the air. rs IL inclined rather to fly than TO
swim; but, once well afioat thew paddleS
away with such extreme rapidity as to ex
haust themselves within q few minutes AT
most. In this action the head and Shout
derS are carried very high out OF the water.
while the rest Of the body sinks deep be-
meath the surface-iD direct contrast TO the
pose OF hares and rabbits. which in swim
by the head
Like the squirrels. these two animals
snow great tinidity in the water; and natu-
rally so. for their heads are so low and
sterns SO high that the slightest rfpple ON
the surface would send their noses under
water and SO drown them unless they m
once returned to land. In perfectly sim
water however, they can both swim con-
siderable distances.
Nearly ali the rumtnants are exce,y.n.
swimmers. and all take freely to the uatar
except perhaps the wild sheep and the
camels. N 'ie
or pigs IT is commonly reported tba, en-
queerly fashioned are they that II they a.
tempt to swim they cut their throats win
their fore feet: but this is only an did
wires Table. Whether wild or tame they
are all good swimmers. though owing ~
me snortness OF their legs. they just touch
the water very high. Many of the js,ands
OF the southern seas are now Inhabited INV
WHO pigs which are the descendsnts ~
tnose Mnlch nave swum ashore sometimes
great distances. from wrecked vessels.
Camels cannot swim. They are very
pooyant. ont Unbalanced, and their heads
go under water They can however he
taught to swim rivers with the aid of eoat
skins or Jars fastened under their necks
During the Beluchistan expedition of 1898
the camels were lowered into the sea from
the ships, and their drivers. plungtng over
board. clambered on to the rump Of their
charges. causing the animals heads To
cessfully piloted ashore
Several animals. such as hed,ehoys and
bats who would at first glance be consid-
cred incapable Of natation, are in reality
quite respectable performers.
A raft TO contain IA 900 piles Is now being
constructed at Seattle. Wash, by a San
Francisco firm TO be flowed to Jaran