The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1902-08-22
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ApvEarIsEassNrsI IN 80


sscrs ana blrcs-
In the study OF natural history the
chief interest belongs. not 10 collecting
and classifying. bat to interpretaIlon-
We are surr0undea b. natural things,
animate. and inanlmate, and each has
purpose beyond the universal one or
being beautiful To The human under
standing is presented the fascinating
problem OF nnding out what that pur-
pose is Brilliant minds. capable OF
original conceptions and accurate IN
vestigarions. have long been busy TO
that end: and now in many domains
light is daWning Meanwhile as ever,
phraseology lags behind discovery.
New truths are anonymous and only 70
be described with roundabout verbal
clumsiness.
Thus advertising in nature" Is but a
make-shift nickname for a recently
s6alized, and consequently unchristen-
ed. principle. Flowers advertise They
acquaint bees with the fact that honey
Is kept within But the philanthropy
1f the king is only on the surface
This advertisement is displayed in as
strict a business spirit as IN any manu-
lacturer's printed notification concern
ing soap or pills Behind the whole
proceeding Is a concern that the bee
should. though without intent or
knowledge, put pollen to its appointed
use. The advertisements OF the flowers
IRE sometimes as fatal as those of the
turf tipser. Little birds are attracted
to the arum ily's seed pod by the se-
duction Of its scarlet coat. and Profess
sor Bottomley spoke BY the book wnen
be characterized the business as floral
u. a h.
treaeherously poisoned bird makes just
the proper little heap OF nutritive soil
for the termination OF the seed Then,
too, insects advertise, as Prof Z. B.
Poulton, in the interesting lecture he
delivered at the Royal Institution.
made abundantly manifest. There are
countless little creatures upon this
earth who are concerned to pass them
selves on as something they are not in
order to escape the consequences OF be-
ing what they are. The result is at
tanned by advertisements, and lying
Advertisements to boot Take the
case of a certain humble bee. and OF
certain still more humble ny. The
latter is a veritable Beerbohra Tree in
his capacity TO assume the appearance
Of the former Art for arts sake does
not enter into the situation The per-
formance OF the fly originates in a con-
sideration Of self-preservation. Pro-
fessor Poulton showed that this
Interested initiation does not
stop even at copying the brown hairy
coat. The toothsome insect actually
apes the antics OF the singing insect,
and notably in the manner Of leg
action. Be 1t known that IN the cool OF
the evening, IL you go up to tease the
particular bee, he as like as not viii
disdain to hy away, but viii waggle
pair Of legs at you in a menacing man
ner eloquent Of anger. Under similar
provocation this little fly will do the
same, the better 70 convey the erron-
eous idea that he is a bee and armed
with a sting One fault in the imita-
tion Is worthy 20 be noted The bee
does not use his front pair OF legs for
this alarming demonstration. The fly
does. anu this circumstance is easy to
account for. While all the legs OF
fy are equally useful for walking with,
the front pair have got in the way Of
performing little extra duties. We
have all seen flies washing their faces
with the front pair, which also have
marked facility when outstretched for
rapidly curling and uncurling round
one another At the extremities-a per-
formance which is probably directed to
some other end than the promotion Of
the circulation. Thus these forerunners
have, by reason Of their superior hex-
ibility, singled out for this part Of the
strange business Of fooling birds and
other inseet-eaters.
There are tasty beetles that pretend
TO be wasps. but plenty Of nourishlng
flies that try and palm themselves on
as unsavOry ants. There is even q
spider that assumes the appearance Of
an ant At first sight 1t would seem
that the possession Of eight legs would
be a bar to the disguise. but the in
genuity Of nature, working, through
the principle of selection, is capable Of
what one is tempted to describe as
daring solutions of difficult problems.
When occasion requires. up go the
front pair Of legs as counterfeit anten-
naeg Some Of our readers will be
familiar with the quaint appearance Of
the caterpillar OF the lobster moth
which to the ordinary eye is two
thirds caterpillar and one-third some-
thing else. The bulky apDendage 6all-
ed by politeness tail really seems, SO
far as unity of design is concerned. TO
have no relation Of what goes before
And now note the explanation with
which a distinguished Russian natural
ist has staggered the mological world.
A fact patent to all observers is that
the caterpillar Of the lobster moth.
when menaced by danger. will swing
his tail over onto his back. and hold up
his fingers straight and quivering-
Why he should behave thus has long
been a mystery. for to the scientific
mind it never seemed sufficient ex-
PLANTATION that the creature perchance
aspired, by his appalling contOrtion, to
fill the enemy's heart with paralyzing
terror. The distinguished Russian
one day bethought Of him a strange
resemblance the caterpillzr'a tail bears
to a certain plant that is repugnant to