Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-01-28
THE Willy HERON.
Clever Tricks Tint Protect the ptr.I
From ItN Enemies.

FROM wv enemies.
Nnture seems to have provided some
animals with wonderful mmetic ndap
tntions to protect them from their enc
mics. 4 naturalist cites an example OF
this. He had fred ut s q IN American
heron which was stealth: ~ rough some
rushes. hut on coming TO the place
could see nothing of the bird. He was
on the point of turning away when
strange sight met his eyes. This is how
he describes the scene:
There stood my heron on n reed no
more than eight inches from my knees
and on level with them The BODY
was erect. and the point of the tail
touched the reed grasped by his feet.
The long, tapering neck was held stiff.
straight and vertical. and the head and
beak. instead Of being carried obliuue.
i. were also pointing up From his
feet tn the tip of his beak there was not
perceptiblc curve or inequality, but
whole was the figure-the exact coun-
terpart-of straight. tapering rush.
the loose plumago being arranged to fill
MI inequalities. The wings. pressed in
TO the hollow sides. made it impossible
to sec where the body ended and the
neck began or to distinguish head from
neck or benk from head This was n
front view. and the entire under EUR
face of the bird was thus displayed. all
of uniform dull yellow. Not move
mcnt did the bird make. I placed nv
hand on the point Of his beak end
forced the head down til It touched tho
back When | withdrew my hand M
few the head like q steel spring to It's
first position. repeated the expert.
ment several times. with the came re.
suit, the very eyes Of the bird appear.
ing all the time perfectly immovable.
But how CHANGED 1t that while walk
Ing round the bird through the rushes
| had not seen his striped back and
broad colored sides3 Thinking thus.
stepped round to get side view. when
I'll ! could see was the rushlike front
Of the bird. His motions OH the nercb
rs he turned slowly or quickly round.
still keeping the edge Of the bladelike
body before me. correspondent so exact
y with my own that almost doubted
II had moved at all. After watching
the bird thus for some time took him
forcibly from the rush and perched
him on my hand. when he few away
to some dry grass fifty or sixty yards
distant Here he again practiced his
mimettc tricks so ably that I CROPPED
about for a quarter OF nm hour before
finding him. I was amazed that n cren-
ture apparently so frail should be able
to keep the body rigid so long.
SneeZing.
Sneezing itself Is a reflex nervous &c.
ton and Is brought about by mechani.
cal irritation to the ends of the nerve
fbers which occur In the tissue of the
nose. When this irritation occurs.
whether 1t be due to a foreign body OF
change of temperature affecting thu
tissue of the nose. a nerve impulse
transmitted to the brain. and certaiI
nerve centers in the medulla oblongatf
are affected. This results in certain
impulses being transmitted along this
nerves to the muscles controlling respi.
ration. BY this means the egress of ait
during expiration is delayed. and thi
various exits are closed. When tho
pressure however. reaches limit the
exits arc forced open, "a powerful blast
of air Is expelled. and the patient
scee:es."