Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1915-10-19
ARE WITHOUT WATER
Island That Has No water on Il, Not
Even swamp--unless Dew Can a
Stake Thirst Must Do
Without Drink.

Recent Investigations on the little
known and rarely visited Henderson
or Elizabeth island have led to the dis
covery of complete and curious lit
tie colony OF geological total abstain
ers. The island. which is uninhabited.
is situated about 100 miles northeast
OF Pitcairn island-itseif sufficiently
out of the way, but famous as the
home Of the descendants OF the mu-
tineers of the Bounty.
There is no water on II. not even a
swamp, and It is only six miles long.
yet II harbors quite q menagerie-a
kind of rat. a lizard, described as very
abundant, and no fewer than four
kinds of birds. all peculiar to the is
land. These are fruit pigeon, a
Iorikeet or honey-eating parrakeet, a
little rail- or crake and a reed warbler.
The strange thing about the inmates
of this curious little natural aviary
of coral rock. surrounded by waves
instead of wires, is that two of its In
mates are birds, one especially asso-
ciated with water-the rail and the
warbler.
Yet it is evident that these. like the
rest, must do without drinking, unless
the dew can slake their thirst. or they
have acquired federation for sea water
as a beverage. A similar case is that
of the peculiar and very handsome
wild goose of the Sandwich islands,
which frequents the barren lava flows,
where there is no permanent water
supply, but thistle and berries. Here
we get an even more aquatic type OF
bird marooned on dry land. but the
Sandwich island goose takes to water
readily enough when kept in Europe.
"As to the existence OF animals with
out drinking. II is well known that
many have the power of sustaining
themselves In this way, and the phe-
nomenon occurs irrespective of their
diet being vegetable or animal. at any
rate in some cases." says the Standard
in commenting upon Henderson island
life. Rabbits as is well known can
live without water II given plenty of
salad, and 50 can parrots II supplied
with sop: yet both will drink on &C.
easions. So viii hawks and owls, but
these birds can subsist for long peri
DDS without drinking In captivity; in
fact, under the old management at the
zoo the owls never had any water
given them. Neither did the curious
hornbills, which are by nature chiefly
fruit eaters. receive any, They have
the opportunity of drinking now, but
do it. SO awkwardly trying to peck up
the water with their great bills that
the habit hardly seems natural.
1T has been recorded that o great
bustar3 lived for months in captivity
without drinking, although the species
does drink occasionally; and 1t may be
suggested that the bustards are fam
lily of birds accustomed to frequent dry
places and hence have acquired a
power of abstinence.
But. setting aside the fact that the
great bustard is often found near wa
ter. this explanation would not serve
in the case of parrots and hornbills,
which are as rule forest birds; more
over, the family of birds most espe-
cially associated with desert condi
tions-the sand grouse-does not show
any tendency to dispense with drink
ing Indeed they are very dependent
On water, flying TO their drinking place
twice daily, and watering their chicks
by soaking their own underplumage
a.. A. a,,s1 ,.,htob 20 affar.rord ouoba rod
of by the young.
"The camel itself, proverbial for its
adaptation to the desert and endur
ance of thirst, is equally in need OF
| drinking. although on account Of the
water storage arrangements in Its
stomach 1t can do without fresh sup
| ply for days. Yet it's endurance Of
thirst can be maintained only about
twice as long as that of the horse KEEP
under similar conditions; and as ar
abstainer 1t cannot compare with the
! giraffe. the Gland and some of the
other antelopes. which can subsisi
without drinking for months at time
and probably indefinitely.
ABILITY to exist without drinking II
evidently a physiological popularity o.
certain species of families of animals
and 1t is obvious from what has beer
said above that this power is capri
ciously disturbed and has no necessary
connection with the creatures environ
ment, though under the pressure o.
circumstances II may become invalu
able"