Evening star., 1942-02-10
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory. Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
There are no dumb animals"
This Is the belief Of DR.. Ernest p.
Walker, assistant director Of the Ma
tional Geological Park, after years Of
observation Of creatures Of hundreds Of
species.
All, he contends, have some means Of
communication between themselves.
For example, he says, "a tiny pocket
mouse that lived on my desk at home for
several years appeared to be entirely
silent. But when held him against my
ear found he was carrying on q rapid
chattering and scolding. A little female
of the same species, temperamental
spinster, had but to look at him, change
her expression ever so little, and he
would be almost cowed. I am satisfied
she talked to him most effectively"
Kangaroo rats, Mr.. Walker says, gen.
orally are believed to be dumb" but
when two are brought together and do
not like each other they utter buzzing
growls. Also one will give the same
sort Of call when 1t Is in the i'm
mediate presence Of grasshopper mouse,
its mortal enemy In the wild.
II have heard my little kangaroo rat"
he says, utter chirps that could be
heard at a distance Of or 10 feet. II
one OF these animals is held close to
ones ear a series Of buzzing sounds can
be heard-dots and dashes in varying
frequency and tempo-that must mean
something to the creature who makes
them.
In their deep underground dens a
distinct tapping Of feet or tails can be
heard from outside. These sounds evil
IDENTIFY serve as a means Of communica-
ton between different nest chambers
within the elaborate dwelling.
MY pet grasshopper mouse calls, ap-
parently to attract attention. The loud
est OF his calls can be heard by the ordi-
nary human ear at distance of 40 to
% feet. I have seen him 60 through
the motions of giving the call when the
sound was so faint or high pitched that
could not hear 1t when was not more
than 2 to 4 feet away from him"
The classic dumb" animal, Mr.. Walker
points out, is the giraffe, but he con-
tends that there are authentic records
that these animals, under the stimulus
of extreme excitement, utter bleating
calls.
Present-day man may yet be replaced
by superior life form as the ruler of
the earth.
This concept Is advanced by DR.. James
Ritchie. noted British biologist, in the
annual report of the Smithsonian Instf-
tuition
1t currently is assumed In discussions
OF evolution. DR.. Ritchie points out, that
future advance will be in the improve
ment of man himself. He may develop
superior brain. He may attain a more
efficient social organization. But all
this, the British biologist says, is based
on a somewhat un1ustif1ed belief that
the human being represents. generally
speaking, the highest attainment Of Ma
ture. and any further achievement must
be in the line Of perfection of the high
est pattern.
But" he says. "step back some $780,
100000 years to the period when the
great dinosaurs dominated the earth
and nothing higher than reptiles had
been evolved. To themselves and to the
creatures which shared the world with
them they must have seemed, II they had
any yself-consciousness, the crowning glory
OF creation. Stage by stage the evolution
of the past had led to them. Nothing
higher could be imagined and evolution
appeared to have reached its goal
That could be said by their contempo-
raries Of the highest creatures at every
stage in the course of the 1900 900 900
years of evolution, just as it is said Of
man today. A hundred million years
have rolled by since the time Of dino
saurs, and they and all their immediate
kin have disappeared forever.
Looking back over the 1900, 900 900
year vista Of the steady climb Of life
upon the path of evolution, 1t seems pre-
sumptuous for us to suppose that man,
the latest conner, Is the last work or the
final crowning glory, and that with his
coming the great steps In evolution have
come to an end.
Looking forward to the future Of life
on earth it seems even more presump-
tuous for us to suppose that for the next
1,000, 100000 years life, so surprisingly
inventive in the past, should be tied for
all time to come to trif1ing changes like
increase in brain power or better social
organization for mankind. To think
otherwise is to imagine that with the
coming of man, so insignificant in time.
the advance and inventiveness of evolu-
ton, steadily carried on through an un-
imaginable vista Of years in which no
trace of slackening can be perceived, has
all but come to an end"