The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-12-29
HOW THE ANIMALS SWIM
MOST BEASTS HAVE A NATURAL
INSTINCT FOR WATER.
While Man Feels Himself III at Ease
When Beyond His Depth, Many Land
Animals Are Almost Equally at Home
in Water--Polar Bears Expert.


when Beyond His Depth. Many Land
Animals Are Almost Equally at Home
in Water--Polar Bears Expert.
The leading distinction between a
beast and a man when swimming. Is
the fact that the beast fearlessly pro
ceeds as best he may, after the same
methods he used on land. while the mar
adopts a hundred maneuyers which
are novel to his continental move
ments.
Man in the water emulates the frog.
an entirely different creature. using his
arms as a sort Of wing 70 keep him
ahoat while effecting progress with
his legs Since the relative lengths of
his limbs differ from those of his illus
trious example. he never succeeds in
attaining its perfection in swimming.
When animals enter the water they
propel themselves precisely as they do
on the land, except with greater force;
hence they become not only expert
travellers by sea but also excellent
transports for heivy burdens. When
they approach deep water they i'm
medlately begin TO swim without
further ado, entering the fluid element
with the profounIest confidence.
whether doing so as an incident in
their roaming or as a necessity because
Of pursuit
or all land animals there is no better
swimmer thar the polar bear. This
powerful beast Of prey spends half his
time in the water. leaving collosal
tracks in his wake. His performance
is particularly remarkable because he
is surrounded by ice-water, and cold is
the dlrest enemy TO good swimming. A
peasant, whose hut stood on the shore
Of an island. one evening heard a noise
on the beach. Peeping out Of the win
dow. he saw tremendous Bruin squat
ting on the beach licking himself dry.
He had just stepped out Of the water
and must have travelled at least
twenty-five miles, from the nearest ice
pack, without a moments rest.
tits fascinating to watch a polar bear
pursuing seals, one Of his dearest table
delicacies. Perceiylng the seals some
distance away on the rocks. he takes
a circuitous route by water to reach
them. At first he plunges boldly for
ward, but. as he advances he sinks
lower and lower. Finally, only his
head is visible. then only his snout
projects. and this gradually disappears,
as the vast beast dives quite beneath
the waves a few yards from the victim.
A few minutes later he darts out at the
side of the seal, as it basks on a low
rock, and before it can slip into the
sheltering sea, pounces upon it with an
effective death blow.
If a deer. q buffalo. a pig. or some
other land beast be pursued by a boat
in the water he never looks to the
water for his salvation but only tries
to move the faster. Aquatic fowls, on
the contrary. and all animals Injured TO
water life duck their heads or make |
themselves less conspicuous by sinking |
the whole body gradually beneath the
surface
One Of the most fearless swimmers is |
the marten. A man once noticed one
of these clever little creatures swim
ming across a small lake with a pigeon |
in his mouth out toward the wood on
the other side. He could have had |
easy access by land to the pigeon cote |
but doubtless shrewedly concluded that
he was safer to attempt his theft by
water.
Some Of the most awkward as well |
as the most mastery Of swimmers be.
long to the rodents. The beaver is an
expert while rats and mice rival the
aquatic skill OF their cousins. the water |
rats and water mice. Squirrels are
apt in accustoming them
selves to travel by water A huntsman /
who had seen wild squirrels spring in
to some brook and escape to the farther
shore made an experiment upon his
own pet squirrel, which he knew had
never been near the water.
He took him out in boat and Dropped
him into a lake. At first the squirrel
fried to leap out, but rapidly realizing
that that could not be done applied
himself with such velocity to swim
ming that his master had difficulty IN
him. As he swan he stood
head and shoulders above the surface.
while his back and tail were sunk
deep beneath the water.
All ruminants, with the exception Of
the camel and possibly the wild sheep.
are excellent swimmers and show no
hesitation ia entering the water.
Elks are half aquatic animals who
experience not the slightest incon.
venience in managing a journey by
water. They hold their heads up loft
ily, making an imposing spectacle as
they advance.
Reindeer are good swimmers and
raise Just the head above the water.
Deer when swimming hold their
heads and part Of their spines ont Of
he water. Some circus managers take
deer TO a height Of ffty feet. whence
they spring into miniature lake be-
low and swim to the farther side.
Everybody knows that the rh,n-
Dceros and tiDpopotamus are master
divers and swimmers. but everybody
ioes not know that elephants are their
rivals FOR aquatic Eorors. III India