The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-11-26
CREATURES OF DARKNESS.
insects and Animals That Avoid the
Light of Day and Some That
Are Eyeless.


The cavern beetle was first discoV-
ered some 70 years ago in an Aus
trian cave, the grotto OF Adelsoerg.
One specimen only was caught, andz
thonsh it's discoverer offered prize
Of s5 for another, it was Il years be-
fore q. second was found, says a Lon
don paper. -.
The cavern beetle has little round
body, very long legs, and ABSOLUTELY
NO ewes at all. Brought out from its
gloomy haunts into the ngnt o. the
sun it dies almost immedlately. YET
in its pitch-dark home far penearn the
surface of the earth it moves with as
great rapidly and certainty as any OF
it's eyed relatives on the upper soil.
To make up for its lack OF sight, IL
is provided with antennae OF extraoT-
binary length and delicacy. By means
of these it feels it's way over the rough
surface of the stone and hunts us
prey-other smaller blind insects
with great rapidly and absolute GER
tainty.
The cavern beetle has its enemies
The blothrus "a species of scorploE1}
and the great eyeless spider NUM- IL
remorselessly. Prince Khevenhuaer,
who thoroughly explored these caves
some years ago, describes it as most
extraordinary sight to watch py the
light of a candle scorpion. absolute
ly eyeless, hunting beetle equally
blind along the cavern wall. AIthougn
the beetle was several feet iE front OF
the scorpion, and divided from 1t by
assure in the rock, yet he scorpion
tracked it with absolute and almost
appalling certainty.
The spider found in these caves is
of a lovely ivory white, and IS able,
like the other insects which lnhabit
the same subterranean depths, to run
very rapidly and find its way with as
positive certainty as IL it had eyes and
light to use them. Like several of the
others, it, too, perishes il taken out of
the cave. Sunlight seems to wither
and shrivel up these insects, just as
though they had been placed in front
Of a hot fire.
Yet, in spite of this fact. it is known
that the blind cave creatures are de-
scended from others which originally
lived in the light Of day.
An extraordinary proof Of this Is
that, though no faintest ray marks the
difference between day and darkness
in the depths they live in, yet 1t has
been ascertained beyond shadow OF
doubt that those whose ancestors were
nocturnal in their habits still prefer to
move about during those hours when
the surface of the earth is in darkness.
The cavern rat, found in the Mann
| moth cave of Kentucky, Is Of soft,
blush color, with white neck and feet.
It has enormous eyes, black as night,
but quite unprovided with iris.
These eyes are perfectly insensible
| to light. and when the experiment has
been made of catching cavern rat
and turning it loose in bright sunlight,
| it b1unders about, striking itself
against everything, is unable to FRO
vide itself with food, and finally falls
| down and dies.
IN it's native depths, however, it is
able to lead comfortable enough ex-
istence, as its enormously long whfs-
kers are so extremely sensitive that
| they enable it to find its way rapidly
| through the darkness. The principal
food of the cavern rat consists of a
kind of large cricket of a pale yellow
color, and like most cave dWallers,
| itself perfectly blind
! Numbers of different kilss of fish
are known to live in the gloomy riyers
and lakes which exist in all large
caves
At San Marcos, Tex. borings were
recently made to provide water supply
for some new fish hatcheries. At
| depth of 1873 feet a great stream of
water was struck, which shot up at the
rate of 1000 gallons minute. With
| it came thousands of tiny, shrimp-like
creatures, and also large number of
| curious little, pale-eolored reptiles.
provided with long tails, and each hav-
ing four legs. These tiny monsters
were absolutely eyeless. The only
| trace that they ever possessed such or
gans are two little black spots above.
| the nostrils.
A similar creature known as the
ohm, inhabits the rivers in the Aus
trian caves already mentioned. Down
in the depths of the Planina cave.
nearly a mile and a half from the en-
trance, the ohm is most abundant.
The waters are fairly alive with them.
and when, some years ago, Archduke
Ferdinand paid visit to this cave,
net was let down and a number of the
little reptiles caught for his benefit.