The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-14

Most people lose their heads, meta
phOrically, at times, but when those
ornamental appendages are literally off,
no fresh heads take their place. 4
worm, on the contrary, has been known
10 grow a new brain, as well as the
more humdrum but useful mouth and
throat, in the course of a couple Of
months.
New Eyes Developed.
That mixed multitude" of animals
classed together by naturalists as mol
lusks, which include the lie-a-bed oys-
ter ana the Wideawake cuttlefsh. con-
taius also the snail, far-famed for its
marvellous speed. its habit of evading
the ground landlord BY carrying its
house on it's shoulders, and for its abl-
ity TO open new eyes should the orig
inals be permanently darkened. The
eyes, as is well known are carried at
the ends OF two horns, and can be
pulled in OF thrust out with more than
mechanical ease and precision. IF the
eyes are lost by an accident, the life
which perVades the creature. beginning
from the mere stumps. builds Up the
optic nerves afresh, furnishes them
With appropriate cases, and places aC-
curately constructed lenses at the ends.
In the case Of d human being who
has lost his eyes the ophthalmist has
nothing more practical 10 do than 10
send in his bill, and the Optician is re-
duced 10 the construction Of glass eyes,
or some other appliance 70 hide the de-
formity; whereas the snail, treated in
the Opnthalmic hospital Of nature,
Srows new eyes and goes merTiiy, but
sedately TO his revels on a tender cab
baEe leaf under the moon
Few insects are known To replace lost
rTsr
found minus foot or one of their an
tennae. This is probably due 10 the fact
I that most insects emerge suddenly into
. the mature form. when growth praC-
tically ceases. and il is In the imma-
ture stage that uncommon growth is
most marked.
Two insects, however. which grow
from larvae TO perfect individuals with
ont any great change Of form, are able
+ 10 replace lost antennae or legs. Ear
wigs begin life with antennae of eight
joints each, and by subdivision increase
the joints 10 fourteen. The anternse
are brittel. and joints frequently break
off. but are readily replaced, the dis
/ tuTbanCe arising from the fracture
/ often producing a variation from the
usual number.
Extravaganza Of Limbs,
S-IG1i> ana CRABS, MuttE are near
relations. are able. after a series OF
mouths. to replace limbs which have dis
appeared in battle. 1t Is somewhat
startling. on the morrow after shutting
up in a box a dark spider with sever
+ legs, 10 find two spiders. one dark ana
the other light, one with eight legs aud
the other with seven. The captive hav-
ing changed his clothes and grown a
new leg during the hours of darkness
/ Crabs are warlike. and when two or
three enter the same orabpOt are opt TO
destroy one anOthei's limbs in q way
which to less richly endowed races
seems extravagant. Fishermen cannot
afford to throw them hack into the sea,
but they often render first aid. Thrust
ing a finger into the wound OF the man
gIed limb. they irritate the owner. who
thereupou jerks of the paw. leaving
d neat film at the end Of the stump,
which prevents any further loss Of
blood. Crabs are more excitabie than
their appearance would suggest, and Il
Z IS drmly believed by the fishermen that
Z when they are confined in the store
/ pots ia shallow water thunderstorm
viii bring about a wholesale kicking
away Of their unfori innate limbs
/ All things consiae ed this reproduc-
{ tiou OF lost MEMBER heads. cyes. legs
and lails-is one Of fae r7nsf ~av
able things connected with the daily
/ miracle Of srowth,LLcr'5on Aiass.