Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-05-27
LIGHT KILLS THEM.
Strange Fish and Insects That 1.-Two
In Perpetual Darkness.

Strange Fish and Insects That 1.-Two
In Perpetual Darkness.
The cavern beetle was first discover
ed some seventy years ago in an Aus
trian cave, the grotto of Adelsberg.
One specimen only was caught, ana,
though its discoverer offered a prize
of Is for another, It was fourteen years
before second was found.
The cavern beetle has little round
body. very long legs and absolutely
no eyes at all Brought out from Its
gloomy haunts into the light OF the
sun it dies almost Immediately. Yet,
I'm its pitch dark home, far beneath the
surface Of the earth, il moves with as
great rapldity and certainty as any OF
its eyed relatives on the upper soil.
To make up for its lack of sight 1t
is provided with antennae Of extraordl-
nary length and delicacy. BY means
of these it feels its way over the rough
surface of the stone and hunts its prey,
other smaller blind insects, with
great rapidity and absolute certainty.
The cavern beetle has It's enemies.
The blothrus "a species of scorpiom
and the great eyeless spider hunt 1t
remorselessly. Prince Khevenhuller,
who thoroughly explored these caves
some years ago, describes it as most
extraordinary sight to watch by the
light of candle scorpion, absolutely
eyeless, hunting n beetle, equally blind,
nIong the cavern wall. Although the
beetle was several feet in front OF the
scorpion and divided from it by n fis-
sure in the rock, yet the scorpion track
ed it with absolute and almost APP
palling certainty.
The spider found in these caves Is OF
q lovely ivory white and is able, like
other insects which inhabit the same
subterranean depths, to run very rap
idly and find its way with as positive
certainty as if it had eyes and light to
use them. Like several Of the others,
it, too, perishes If 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 ordinary proof Of this Is that,
though no faintest ray marks the diff
ference between day and darkness In
the depths they live in, yet it has been
ascertained beyond shadow Of doubt
that those whose ancestors were noe
turnal in their habits still prefer to
move about during those hours when
the surface Of the earth is in darkness.
Numbers of different kinds Of fish
are known to live in the gloomy rivers
and lakes which exist in all large
caves.
At San Marcos, Tex, bOrings were
recently made to provide n water sup
ply for some new fresh hatcheries. At
a depth of 1888 feet great stream or
water was struck, which shot up at the
rate of 1,2OO gallons a minute. With 1t
came thousands Of tiny, shrimp-like
creatures and also large number OF
curious little pale colored reptiles pro-
vidcd with long tails and each having
four legs. These tiny monsters were
absolutely eyeleSs. The only trace that
they ever possessed such organs are
two little black spots above the nos
| trils.
A similar creature known as the dim
inhabits the rivers in the Austrian
caves already mentioned. In the
depths of the Planina cave, nearly a
mile and half from the entrance, the
olm is most abundant The waters are
fairly alive with them, and when, some
years ago, the Archduke Ferdinand
paid q visit to this cave net was let
down and number Of the little rep
tiles caught for his beneft.-London
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