New-York tribune., 1907-08-04
N1TTRE PROBLEMS.
Some Instances of the Innate De-
pra71ty Of Bugs and Beasts.
BY Tudor jerks.

1t is a surprising thing to the mere ordinary
man in the street that naturalists and those
amateurs who devote themselves to nature
delight 10 choose subjects 50 far removed from
a real, living. human interest
They tell the story Of the isolated ibeX. the
pathetic romance of the depressed dromedary.
the disappointments of the gentIemany griz-
zIy. OF other soul experiences Of the lower world
with which, in the nature of things. those Of the
trolley car and hl drdulic elevator world can
have little sympathy.
But as to the real and living issues Of animal
life the problems that, solved would bring joy
and comfort the vital. living questions in nature
study. they silent. 1t is the purpose of this
paper not to solve, but to suggest. few OF the
problems that really matter in the study Of the
animal kingdom.
1t is spring time All nature reyives and the
dormant nuisauces Of winter spring into activity
as the sun comes northward. Perhaps at this
season the most iutorts sting Of all subjects IF
nature study to the average man or woman is
the house fly. and among the varieties of the
r,estiferous beast IF tho uuscieutific term may
te allowed the most disagre"abI, and tho least
understood is ~ ur sin. tth~ sex is uuim-
portantl who deyotcs herself or himself 10 the
tired citizen Who IS trying TO get The utmost of
natures sweet r,~torcr IL tn morning
a moderately size oom. crowded with furnI-
tur, hris-a-hrac. icrpb,s clothes. dust and
other things that -ht to content . reasonably
utaullticus ~. creature should devote it
self With siuCl, ld,d purros. 70 walking ny
and d.uu q tIr. s.e,p.r's face There IS ~"
evident reason ; a normally constituted fly
should prefer men4sinG along thc human
nose or cuddHne into tho corner If the human
.,.. or tickling The cutIoie f tho human check.
to all other morning pleasures
Neither is there any scientific book that *
plains why til, same fly, or one so like 70 D.
urdiet5nguishahle. should soon afJ"r follow m"
awakened sleeper down t. breakfast. and thor,
giving up the pleasure of facial promenade
should develop a single minded desire To com
init suicide in some dairy product either ty
drowning in the cream jug suffocation in tn"
butter dish. Evolution gives no hint "f thr ad-
yautag. To- he derived by n" race II ht'- from
either Of these persistent instincts.
Another mystery that is connected With ne
foregoing only becaus. it gives a desire for
sound sleep in the morning hours u th" victim
who has been kept awake at night Is the qucs-
tIou why the common cIulr" 1eud derives salts
faction or advantage from howling at night
Ho.gllng is a natural trait Of the race. TIM
Iou.lv coyote. even far from any human being
caTabl. IF annoyance. pr1rtIsc- his scales mo-.
per~ist,utIy than many rrima donna Perhaps
the mystery is not ia the mechanism Of the dog
hut rather in that Of the owner VII" must be-
If th. deduction be allowable stone deaf and
completely devoid of human sympathy There
is hardly a summer night wherein these dis
tinct dog hoy,ls do not play around The horizon
like a non-fadiug aurora The dog. however
has been somewhat studied. though no "XrInna-
tion has over appeared in Irin, t. account for
the characteristics that really are most inn
uortaut. I kuov Of uu theory. even among tn"
German professors to account for the f!vIu' Mt
~ observed fact that The "atoht"2 viii n-
var.ab.y attack a rich naiI.u aaut or .a
or1,han child. while sure To- greet with Hvuu-
humility lareenoa- tramp. in proportion to- a.-
suspicious ana disreIutab.r arrrafan."-
II thas. subjects II study uo Ii [ attract the