The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-02-04
NATURE A KIND MOTHER.

How many weak and timid crea-
lures there are in the world, with
neither feet and claws for their pro-
lection, armor for their defense nor
speed with which to escape their enc
mics One can hardly understand
why they have not all been killed and
eaten up long ago. Nature is, however,
kinder to these poor animals than she
seems, for if she has left them de-
fenseless against attack she has given
them marvellous power of recovery
from injuries.
When thy lizard has to scamper
for his life in search of crack in the
rock he often has so close a CALI
that his pursuer snaps off his tail just
as he wisks into safety. A loss like
this would kill most larger animals,
but not the little lizard. He simply
waits round quietly until new tail
grows and then is as we'll off as before,
except that the new tail has a hexi-
Bile rod of cartilage where the old one
had backbone.
If an earthworm happens to be re-
firing to his hole when a robin is out
looking for breakfast there is apt to
be lively tug of war between the
eater and the breakfast. Not infre-
quently the bird gets the tail end of
the worm, while the other half crawls
away into safety. Not even a lizard
could survive such treatment as this
but the earthworm is in ability to re-
cover from injuries almost as much
superior to the lizard as the lizard is
to us. He grows new half body to
replace the one which has been de-
voured and seems to mind his loss no
more than boy minds having his
hair cut.
There are besides some snail-like
water worm which quite outdo the
earthworm in bearing up against mis-
fortune. If one of these chances to
lose his entire head, in week or so,
sometimes in only four or FIVE days,
he grows new one, brain, eyes and
all and is as we'll off as ever. Even
if a hungry fish gets two bites at him.
so that he loses both head and tail,
the worm can patch himself out with
new members and go about his busi-
ness as before. They have even been
known to get divided into two pieces
about equal in size and each piece
grow new half body, so that there
were two entire worms in place of
one.
After this it will easily be guessed
that if the head end Of the worm hap.
pens to be split hallway down he will
grow two new sides and become Y
shaped with two heads, or if the tail
end is split new sides grow and two
tailed worm is made. Sometimes one
or two new heads develop close behind
the old one in the angle ofthe Y. In
deed the little creature seems to have
a sort of mania for making new heads
and tails wherever he finds a chance.
If, therefore, the worm after receiving
several wounds manages to escape
with his life, from the cuts which hap
pen to open forward little heads grow
out and from those opening backward
little tails, nodoubt greatly to his en-
barrassment.
But what of the cut off heads and
tails? Do they make new bodies and
become whole animals again Not usu-
ally. The severed head seems to be-
come confused, so that it does not
know what to do. If it lives, it is
most apt to produce another head like
itself and change into two heads placed
neck to neck so that they look ip op-
posite directions. So too, the severed
tail, equally foolish, doubles itself and
becomes two useless tails growing end
to end.
But isn't this really quite impossi-
BILE? A head or tail or even half
body cannot get food. Ifit cannot eat,
it cannot grow, and that is all there is
about it. Well, it is true that frag-
ment cannot eat. But still it can make
the new part out of its own tissue.
So the animals keep getting smaller
as it becomes more nearly complete
until when the new part is finished
the whole body may be no more than
the tenth part of its proper size. The
reconstructed animals are therefore
forced to begin life over again like
young worms. In time, however, they
grow up to full size. When head
end makes new head instead of a
tail or tail makes new tail instead
of head the little creatures must
necessarily waste away and die.-Sf.
Nicholas.