The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1905-03-02
NATURE A KIND MOTHER.
Some cf the cAirions Methods by Which
she Nenls Animal injnrles.

Some Of the Curious Methods By Which
she Aienas Animal Injuries.
How many weak ana timid Great
ules there are IN the world, with Meth
I e. teeth aud claws for their protection.
arlnor for their defense. nor speed
with which 10 escape their eaeailes.
/ enc can hardly understand why they
have not ali been killed and eaten up
7 long ago. Nature is. however. kinder
( % these poor animals than she seems;
Tor il she has left them 0efenseiess
asalnst afsaeS she has given chem
maryelous power OF recovery from III
juries.
When a tiny lizard has TO scamper
! for his life Ia search OF II crack IN tho
rock. he often has 80 close a eall'
that his pursuer snaps on his tail just
Us he whisSs into safety. A loss Ike
this would XII most larger animals.
bat not The little Lizard lie simply
waits round quietly until new tail
grows, aud then is as well on as be-
fore. except that the new tail has a
flexible rod OF cartilage where the Old
one Dad backbone,
II an eaE,hworm happens 20 be re-
tYlng 10 bis hole when a robin Is OUT
.0ok.ns for breakfast. there Ia apt 10
ne a lively tug OF war between tho
eater aud the breakfast Not infre-
queatly the bird gets the tail end or
lie worm. while the other half erawis
away into safety. Not even lizard
could survive such treatment as this
but the earthwDrm is. in ability 70 re-
cover from injuries. almost as much
superior 20 the lizard as the llzard Is
70 MS. He grows a new h-ifbody 10
replace tie one which has been dc
y0ured. and seems 10 mind his loss no
more than boy minds having bis hair
cut.
There are. besides. some snaiiilke
waterworms which quite Guido the
earthworsn 10 bearing up asainsg mis-
fortune. II one Of these ehaness 10
lose bis enfire head. ln a week or So
sometimes la only four OF i've days
be sfoWs a new one brain. eyes. and
al, and j. a. well on a. ever. EYen
II a hungry nsh gets two bites a. him.
- thar BIZ LOSES both head and tal.
the wogm ruu patch himself out viii
new members ana 20 about bis tusi.
ness a. before They have even bees
known 10 get divided into two pieces
about equal 10 size. and each piece
grow a new haif'boty. - that there
were two eutire worms In place %
one.
After this Il will easily be guessed
that II the bead end Of the worm hap
pens 70 be split half way down be viii
sfow two new sides and become r
shaped with two heads or n the fail
end il split new sides grow aud a tNo-
tailed worm l. made Sometimes olr
o. two new heads develop close behind
the Old oae IN thr angle % the 4. In
deed. the lifti. creature s~~nis 70 have
4 sort OF mania for making new heads
lnd tails wherever BE- hnf. chsrrr.
II. therefore. the worm. After rre~ir-
nE several wounds. manages 90 80
ape with bis life from the cuts which
happen to open forward. little hcads
srow out. and from shoee opening back
rard little tails no doubt greatly 10
BE embarrassment
But what Of n. cutoff head. and
aiisl Do they make new bodies ADD
,ccome whole auimsis axain3 Not
iSuaiiy. The severed bead seen. 70
,ecouac cpnfnscd. - that u dors not
nov what 20 DO. ~ u lives II "a most
pt 10 produce another had Ike Itself.
nd change into two heads placed neck
. neck - that they look IN opposite
ircctions so. too. the severed tail.
qnally foolish. double. lfseif and DO
ONES two useless tails growing end
D end.
But isn't this really quite impossi-
ic7 A head or a tail or even q half.
oiy cannot get food. n u cannot cat
cannot grow: and that IL al Their.
about H. Wei. II IL true that
-agD~nt cannot eat But stili II can
AXE the new part out Of its own tls-
is SO the animal keeps getting
mailer as II becomes more nearly
,mpietr. until. when the new part 10
uishcd. the whole body mar 10 no
ore than the tenth part Of ifs proper
re. The reconstructed animals ar.
lerefore forced to begin life over
rain like Young worms In time.
iwever. they grow up 10 full size
hen n head end makes new head
stead Of q tall. or . tail makes a new
u instead OF q head. the little Great
IS must necessarily waste away and
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