Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-24
DIE WHEN EXPOSED TO LIGHT.
Strange Fish and Insects That Live in
Perpetual Darkness.
From Tit Bits.

rum iit-bits
The cavern beetle was first discovered
some seventy years ago in an Austrian
cave the grotto of Adelsberg One speci-
men only was caught, and though its dis
coverer offered a prize of t. for another.
1t was fourteen years before a second was
found.
The cavern beetle has little round body
very long legs and absolutely no eyes at
all Brought out from it's gloomy haunts
into the light of the SUM- it dies almost
Immediately. Yet, in lis pitch-dark home.
far beneath the surface of the earth 1t
moves with as great rapidity and certainty
as any of its eyed relatives on the upper
soil.
To make up FOR it's lack of sight it is pro-
vided with antennae of extraordinary
length and delicacy. BY means of these
1t feels its way over the rough surface of
the stone and hunts it's prey-other small
er blind insec.s-with great rapidity and
absolute certainty.
The cavern beetle has its enemies The
blothrus "a species of scorpion) and the
great eyeless spider hunt il remorselessly.
Prince khevenhuller. who thoroughly ex-
plored these caves some years ago. de-
scribes 1t as a most extraordinary sight TO
watch by the Eight of candle a Scor-
pion. absolutely eyeless hunting a beetle
equally blind. along the cavern wall. AL
though the beetle was several feet in front
of the scorpion and divided from it by a
hssure in the rock, yet the scorpion track
ed it with absolute and almost appalling
certainty.
The spider found in these caves 10 of a
lovely ivory white and is able. like other
insects which inhabit the same subterra-
M IN depths. to run very rapidly and find
its way with positive certainty II II
had eyes and light to use them. Like sew
eral of the others. it. too, perishes If taken
out of the cave. Sunlight seems To wither
and shrivel up these insects just as though
they had been placed in front of hot
fire.
Yet. in spite of this fact. IL is known that
the blind cave creatures descended
from others which originally lived in the
light of day.
An ordinary proof of this is that. though
no faintest ray marks the difference be-
tween day and darkness in the depths they
live in, yet it has been ascertained beyond
shadow of a doubt that those whose an
cestors were nocturnal in Their habits still
prefer to move about during those hours
when the surface of the earth is in dark
ness.
Numbers of different kinds of fish are
known to live in the gloomy rivers and
lakes which exist in all large caves.
At San Marcos, Tex. borings were re-
Gently made to provide water supply for
some new fresh hatcheries At a depth OF
1873 feet a great stream of water was
struck. which shot up at the rate of l,2O
gallons a minute. With il came thousan ds
of tiny. shrimpke creatures. and also
large number of curious little. pale-colored
reptiles provided with long tails and each
having four legs. These tiny monsters
were absolutely eyeless. The only trace
that they ever possessed such organs
two little black spots above the nostrils.
A similar creature known as the ohm In
habits the rivers in the Austrian caves al
ready mentioned. In the depths of the
Planina cave, nearly a mile and half
from the entrance, the ohm is most album
dant. The waters are fairly alive with
them, and when. some years ago, the Arch
duke Ferdinand paid a visit to this cave.
a net was let down and n number of the
little reptiles caught for his benefit.