Evening star., 1943-08-23
BY VIRGINIA LEE GRIMES,

BY VIRGINIA LEE GRIMES.
Tarzan would be a good hunter
If that front claw weren't broken.
The instant he was turned loose
in the garden, he grabbed two
grasshoppers from the corn and be-
gan nibbling at them daintily,
But four legs gigging him sharply
in the stomach would have been
something for even a whole mantis
to tackle. Because of that missing
foot Tor handD, he lost his grip
and the battle.
Apparently at that moment, he
permanently swore off live grass
hoppers. In fact, for several days
afterward. he refused to consider
even dead ones, but his appetite
finally got the better of him and
he broke down and accepted
thoroughly killed one with obvious
relish.
From then on feeding him was
easier but he still is so suspicious
that he shields his face and ducks
| for cover in unashamed terror when
even a feeler of his meal moves in
| the breeze.
Eats Fastidiously.
| Tarzan is a faStidious diner and
a careful one. Each bite must be
| chewed and tested 80 times.
Smeared lips. "whiskers", hands, or
| elbows, call for instant cleaning up.
Sometimes he likes to top off with
ready killed, nonwiggling little
green worm, and maybe drink of
water which he will lap from the
end of your finger, using the inside
of the rail as trough.
When his tummy is comfortably
| filled, he retires to favorite cor
ner in the beans or petunias, hangs
head down, looking like a brown
and red rose twig. and washes his
face with his feet. kitten style.
Indoor repasts consisting of raw
egg yolk taken from a medicine
dropper, and honey from tooth
pick, are eaten more leisurely.
Honey, yesi He chews It like
cud, smacks his lips and cocks his
head at the jar.
|
He also has decided lately that
he likes raw vegetable juice, slipped
| from the followed handle-end of
Chinese porcelain spoon.
Flies, one of the supposed deli
cacies, hunted by nantes, are
only pain in the neck to him. Of
fer one, and he merely turns his
| 1n OIL
Slaps you or takes quick little nip
quite painless) as if to say Take
| that"
You can't laugh at him because he
is too serious about it.
Sounds intrigue him. When some
one SO feet away pushes window,
he stands up, watching for further
activity.
| The radio apparently opens fas-
cinatlng vistas ho him, or at least
he thinks it will, judging from the
effort he makes to crawl into it,
| presumably for better view of the
/ music
Piano Music Pleases Him.
! And the pianol 1t inspires him to
lead better life He perches on
| the side and washes his face until
| you marvel at its durability. After
about the 500th scraping, he tucks
/ up his feet and just sits, either en-
| tranced or droWsy.
/ He is a mantis with fixed likes and
dislikeS. Among the apparent dis
likes is Trouble" his proposed
mantis mate, found to please him.
When Trouble" tries to climb in his
| house. Tarzan chases her away.
| Tucking him in for the night is
no cinch. as his bunk has to be
covered with a net. There are two
ways of moving him-by the fore
and aft approaches. Either he CO.
| operates by climbing on your prof
| fered hand, or he doesn't.
! Doesn't has several varia ations-
running away in fright and pique,
| sitting Solidly and turning his head
| intereStedly but uncomprehendingly
or climbing in a direction of his own.
1t takes skill and tact to slip up
! from the rear in such a way as to
/ give him the idea that he really
wanted to go that way himself.
j Has Blue Box for Bed.
/ His present bed is a wooden box
painted blue inside. and deep
enough to hold a potted plant for
a rooSt. BY sprinkling the plants
| leaves and placing a tiny saucer of
water at its roots. Tarzan is provided
with a drink at night, though only
once has he been induced to drink
/ from a saucer.
/ He travels, too, Ii a little net
/ covered box, back and forth to and
/ from the Office, with no signs of
| perturbation when the passengers
! edge away, or of enthusiasm over
the juggling ride
| The instant the net is off his box,
/ he comes climbing out. looking
| around for something to scale. First
choice is an arm. up which he makes
/ it in double quick time, to shoulder,
| then to back. If you try to fool him
| by shedding a garment, he catches
on at once, and starts for the newly
barred eXpanse of neck. After a Ger
/ tain amount of struggle he is per-
/ Suaded to park on a pillow, close to
lamp teven in Augusta.
! Probably he'd rather spend all OF
! his time in the garden, proving
/ through the squash, or SnooZing on
/ the underSide of an okra leaf. but
: oir,E,