The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-05-15

When one speaks of Martians one
is apt to think only Of those canal
builders, those beings who, If we are
to accept Mr.. Lowens remarkably
well-sustained conclusions, now irri
gate with melting polar SHOWS and
cultivate what were once the ocean
beds of their drying planet.
But, after all they cannot live there
alone; they can be but part Of the
natural history of Mars in just the
same way that man is but part Of
the natural history Of the earth. They
must have been evolved from other
related types; and so we must neces-
sarily give our attention to the general
fauna and flora Of this other world
we are invading in imagination before
we can hope to deal at all reasonably
with the ruling species.
1t is plausible, at any rate. to sup
pose that on Mars also. if there is life,
green chlorophyl will lie at the base
of the edifice; in other words, that
there will be a vegetable kingdom
We know enough to say now that
the vegetable forms with which we
are familiar upon earth would not
do" as people say, on Mars, and we
can even indicate in general terms in
what manner they would differ They
would not do because, firstly, the
weight of things at the surface Of
Mars is not half what 1t would be
upon earth and. secondly, the gen
eral atmospheric conditions are very
different. Whatever else they may
be, the Martian herbs and trees must
be adapted to these conditions.
The great danger for plant in
dry air is desiccation, we may expect
Martian leaves to have thick cutieles,
just as the cactus has. Moreover,
since moisture will come to the Mar
tian plant, as Mr.. Lowell shows, main
ly from below, and not as rain from
above, coming in seasonal floods from
the melting of the snow-cap, the
/ typical Martian plant will probably be
tall, and have its punches and clus-
ters Of spiky blue-green leaves upon
uplifting reedy stalks.
or course, there will be an infinite
variety OF species Of plants upon Mars
as upon the earth, but these win be
the general characteristics Of the
vegetation.
Now this conception Of the Martian
vegetation as mainly Of big. slender,
stalky. lax-textured, hood-fed plants,
with great shocks of fieshy, needle
shaped or formless leaves above. and
no doubt with as various a display Of
flowers and fruits as our earthly
fora, prepares the ground for the
consideration Of the Martian animals,
Everyone nowadays knows how
closely related is the structure of
every animal to the food 1t consumes.
Different food. different animals, has
almost automatic value; and the very
peculiar nature Of the Martian fora
is in itself sufficient to dispel the idea
of our meeting beasts with any close
analogy to terrestrial species. We
shall find no flies nor sparrows, nor
dogs nor cats on Mars.
Still, there is plenty of justification
If an artist were to draw a sort of
butterfly or moth futtering about, or
antllke creatures scampering up and
down the stems of a Martian forest
Jungle. Many of them, perhaps, will
have sharp proboscides to pierce the
tough cuticle Of the plants.
| But-and here is a curious diner-
ence-there are perhaps no fish or
fishlike creatures on Mars at all In
the long Martian winter all the wa
ter seems to drift to the poles and
freeze there as now, or freeze as ice
along the watercourses; there are
only-hood lakes and water-canals In
spring and summer. And SO forms of
life that trusted to gills, or any meth
cd Of underwater breathing. must
have been exterminated upon Mars
ages ago.
The Marian air is thinne1 and drier
than ours. and we conclude. therefore,
that there is still more need than on
earth for well-protected, capaclous
lungs. It follows that the Marlian
fauna will run to large chests.
Here. then, is one indication for a
picture Of a Martlan animal--lt must
be built with more lung space than
the corresponding terrestrial form.
And the same reason that viii make
the vegetation laxer and fimsier viii