Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-08-05
KILL OR BE KILLED
THIS SEEMS THE RULE IN THE
INSECT WORLD.
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
An Observer Tells of Some of the
Franks and Peculiarities of the
Folk of Many Feet-Their Life
One Constant Struggle Against
Enemies in Their Own World.

Not on this mundane sphere will
the golden age come to pass. A
glimpse into the insect world is
enough to convince one Of the hope
lessness of imagining such a thing.
Hunt or you will be hunted, kill or
you will be killed, eat or you will be
eaten, are immutable laws among the
six and eight footed folk. Nature is
kinder to them than she is to man.
He must learn tricks of warfare.
They, after the manner of Minerva,
leap into existence fully equipped rs
destroyers. Material instinct places
the helpless egg where the youngling
may begin it's preying the instant it is
Matched Quick as the shell is
broken, IL commences to destroy life
md is as dangerous as it is in later
cages when it skip3, hops or flies on
it's own account.
Nature is full of resources and a
marvellous mother CT invention.
When warfare is not carried on by
the use Of weapons means are pro-
vided for Guiding the enemy, throw
ing dust in his eyes or frightening
aim out of his tactics. Call to mind
a few of the common means of de-
tense and protection. Here is the
great June beetle, glittering in coat
If mail, as iridescent as mother CT
pearl Man has invented no armor
plate combining 1ightness, toughness
Ind protective qualities equal to the
June beetles coat. These outer
wing covers or elytra Of the beetle
ire impervious to rain, lay like a
sheath over the delicate membranous
wings and form rare combination OF
,eauty and utility. The mouth of a
,eetle is enough to scare the wits
awy from ar ordinary hunting insect
n timid bird out in search Of a meal.
is mouth parts are formed for biting,
nd when it bites it bites with a will.
Live on Juices.
Tree hoppers or brownies bugs
re innocent little creatures that
pend their time tipping on tie
uices of plants. Other insects must
ind them delicacies. Dainty in their
ways, reared on vegetarian diet,
me would naturally expect them =
lave a fine favor Ants have fonnl
0ut the habit of a species excreting
honey dew, and it is only anotae'
evidence of ant wisdom that tn ,
loney-dew tree hopper is corralled
and MIXED by these lovers of sweets.
Innocent young ants that have not
grasped their inherited instincts must
be fearfully terrified at the first sight
of these tree hoppers-their faces are
so grotesque and their little pop eyes
leer in distracting fash ION. 1t may
be that in secret they lament hat
Mother Nature fashioned them like
scarecrows, but if they knew they
they would be thankful and enjoy the
blessings afforded them without
question as to looks
Birds know certain poisonous in
sects by instinct, just as some of US
know the edible mushroom from thu
noxious, and know it to certainty
without being able to tell the reason
why In order to give the insect a
chance nature has dressed a few of
the harmless ones in exactly the
same attire worn by the poisono is
ones. Some of the ugliest cater
pillars are the most harmless.
Those ngenuous-appearing crawl
RS moving about in an unobtruslVe
yay are confidence men in caterpillar
ON and vertiable snakes in the
rass. Beware of them. Yet the
polish birds are all a-futter AL
nxiety when gorgeously striped
aterpiIlar with orange-tipped no MS
nd ebony black brushes sticking up
yer it's back. crawls across the
oath
A scientific friend confessed that
after severe self-discipline he was
able to taste caterpillars witho It
repugnance. If the birds were SO
greedy for them surely they must be
good to eat He gathered his cater
pillars and labeled the different
species and proceeded to taste them
after watching the conduct of spar
rows and robins and catbirds in re.
gard to them. A hairy caterpillar
striped and arrayed in a coat of
many colors as if out on mas
4uuarade was the cause of chatteriug
on the part of the sparrows, tail flap
ping and comment from the robins
and excitement and sarcastic look
from the catbirds. At night time
the scientist tasted the caterpiller to
find out if it was as bitter and
nauseous as the birds had led him to
believe.
Not so at all. He was agreeably
surprised by a delicious, nutty flavor.
In spite of the experience of the
scientists. I would not advise any bow
Of my acquaintance to sample cater
pillars as long as there are so many
harvest apples and hickory nuts and
walnuts in the world A scientist is
supposed to know the poisono IS
larvae of butterflies and moths. and
while it is interesting to learn. still