Many of the simplest animals have remarkable devices to aid in their protection. Thus, one of the marine worms burrows in the ground, forming a long smooth tunnel several inches into the mud. The entrance of the home is in the form of a chimney, built of delicate pieces of coral and glued together so that a perfect piece of masonry is the result. The entrance at the top of the chimney would easily attract attention, but over this the worm arranges a door, by selecting a bit of marine weed about an inch and a half in length. This it glues to the entrance so that the tip falls over and covers it, having the appearance of being the continuation of a plant. At night this very clever builder and dissembler comes out of its den, lifts the trapdoor, and glides to the surface, where it swims about, making a marvelous display, as it possesses, with others, the power of emitting a vivid light, and gleams in the water like a gem or mimic electric light. Returning, it lifts the cunningly devised door and glides in. So cleverly arranged are these doors, and so marked is the resemblance of the whole nest to a leaf, that the sharpest-eyed collector often passes them by.
The sea anemones which line many a pool—the animal flowers of the sea—frequently cover themselves with stones and shells until they look as though a mosaic had been built upon their sides, the presence of the gorgeous flower-like animal being unsuspected.
The instinct to disguise their homes is pronounced among certain spiders. One forms a burrow, covering the hole with a trapdoor which opens and shuts with a perfect adjustment. To render concealment perfect, the spider plants mosses and plants and deposits them upon the newly formed door until it resembles the immediate surroundings and is lost to view. When the spider ascends and pushes the trap up, the miniature forest upon it is seen to rise into the air in a manner surprising to the observer who does not suspect the cause.
"Sea Anemones."
<!-- image -->Nature comes to the rescue of a multitude of animals which are practically defenseless, enabling them to assume disguises that are remarkably effective in concealing them from their enemies. This is true of the animals which drift about in the gulf weed that forms the Sargasso Sea. The sargassum, as the weed is called, is supported by innumerable bubbles, and constitutes the home of many singular creatures—all protected by this device of nature.
The most remarkable mimics are the shell-less mollusks which crawl over the weed. Some are of the exact tint of the sargassum—a delicate olive green; besides which they are covered with tentacles or barbels of flesh which make them perfect mimics of the weed. These interesting creatures cling to the fronds of the gulf weed, and are apparently a portion of it, defying the most active enemies.
Several kinds of fish find equal protection in the weed mass; one in particular, the antennarius, is a very flat fish, about three or four inches in length, which is found lying prone upon the weed so near the surface that it can raise its tail out of the water.
"Shell-less Mollusk."
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Nature has painted this curious little creature the exact tint of the weed, often giving it a marbled color in several shades of green, so that it offers little or no contrast. To supplement this protection, the outline of the fish is apparently distorted in a remarkable way, cut up into branches and barbels, so that the impression is conveyed that plants or bits of weed are growing upon it. So perfect is this device of nature that, in searching for the fish, I have failed to see it at a distance of but a foot, discovering the dissembler only when it moved or raised its tail.
Myriads of crabs and their allies roam through this floating forest, all masked, following closely the tint or hue of the prevailing weed. Some are dotted with white, thus imitating the white incrusting bryozoans which cover the weed in delicate patches. So the entire range of pelagic or floating animals might be followed. The purple ianthina or sea snail finds protection in its color on the open sea. The delicate fishes found beneath jellyfishes imitate the tentacular parts of their host in pink and white, while the fishes beneath the physalia are of the same tint as the deadly tentacles.
Equally interesting, suggesting the boundless resources of nature, are the animals which decorate themselves; as the crabs, one of which, commonly called the stone crab, is always found bearing a miniature forest upon its back, becoming in this way, to all intents and purposes, one of the stones among which it lives. That this is not an accident I have ascertained by cleaning the back of one of these crabs and placing it in an aquarium, where it at once manifested its uneasiness and began to redecorate its back. This was accomplished by snipping off bits of weed with the biting claw, pressing each severed portion to the mouth, where it obtained some glutinous secretion, then raising it over the back and placing it upon the shell, where it remained, and ultimately grew. In two or three hours one of these crabs fairly covered itself with a mimic forest, and seemed gradually to disappear from view among the rocks.
"Stone Crab."
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The hermit crabs, especially those in deep water, often secure a disguise by permitting a sponge to cover the shell. In one instance I observed, the shell had disappeared entirely beneath a mass of sponge, at one side of which the claws of the crab were seen when it moved along carrying its strange burden. A hermit crab has been found carrying an anemone upon its back which almost concealed it; and in one instance observed the rider was phosphorescent.
A DOG'S TRIP AROUND THE WORLD.
A MOST remarkable dog was once owned by the Postal Service clerks of the United States. Owney, as he was named, appeared at the Albany Post Office several years ago, and was adopted by the clerks. One day Owney boarded the mail wagon, which carried the mail to the trains, and on arriving at the station, leaped from it to the mail car. In it he was carried to New York by the clerk, and after being introduced at the general office, was sent back to Albany.
This trip apparently developed a mania for traveling and resulted in Owney's national reputation as a dog traveler. He made trips all over the United States and Canada, even going to Europe, always under the auspices of the mail clerks, and everywhere he went he received medals, tags, and checks, which accumulated so rapidly that he was finally provided with a harness and a bag. He would leave the mail train at towns and cities and visit the post office, but in a few days, despite the good treatment he received, the mania for wandering would seize him, and he would go to the station and jump into the first mail car that appeared and travel with the clerk until he desired a change. In this way Owney became well known in almost every city, town, or village that boasted postal facilities.
In 1895 Owney visited Postmaster A. B. Case, of Tacoma, Washington, having just returned from a trip to Alaska, and one day it happened that he rode down to the wharf of the Asiatic steamer when the great vessel was taking her cargo. Owney was evidently much impressed with her size and beauty, and so plainly expressed a desire to go aboard that it was determined to send him on a flying trip around the world, and to let him break the record if possible. So, some few days later, on August 19, 1895, his friends said farewell to Owney as he walked up the gangway of the good ship Victoria of the Northern Pacific Steamship Company, and was welcomed by Captain Panton, whose guest he was to be. Owney had his credentials in a traveling bag, and he carried also his blanket, brush, and comb, his medal harness for full dress, and letters of introduction to the postal authorities of the world. As the steamer backed out from the dock, hundreds of people waved their hands, and wished Owney a safe and prosperous voyage; and so the trip began.
Owney was soon the pet of the crew, and after an uneventful voyage he arrived at Yokohama on October 3. Here his baggage was examined, with no little curiosity, by the officials, as no dignitary had before entered Japan who owned so many decorations that he was obliged to carry them about with him in a bag! It was concluded that Owney must be either a dog of very high rank, or the property of a distinguished person; and an account of him was promptly forwarded for the information of his imperial majesty, the mikado.
A few days later an official waited upon Owney, and presented him with a passport bearing the seal of the mikado. It was addressed to the American dog traveler, and in very flowery language extended to him the freedom of the interior country. There were some stipulations which, in all probability, Owney would have agreed to had he made the trip. Some were as follows: "The bearer is expressly cautioned to observe in every particular the directions of the Japanese government printed in Japanese characters on the back of the passport, an English translation of which is given herewith; and he is expected and required to conduct himself in an orderly and conciliatory manner toward the Japanese authorities and people." The passport also forbade him to "attend a fire on horseback," warned him not to write "on temples, shrines, or walls," and politely requested him not to "drive too fast on narrow roads."
There was no time for side trips, and, after meeting many officials, Owney sailed from Yokohama, arriving at Kobe on October 9, where he received medals and a new passport from the emperor. He was at Hagi, October 19, Shanghai, October 26, and Fuchau, October 31, where he received more medals and was the subject of an ovation.
His fame had preceded him, and at the latter port he was invited to visit the United States cruiser Detroit, which was lying in the harbor.
"An official presented him with a passport bearing the seal of the mikado."
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One day the marine at the gangway of this fine man-of-war was astonished to see a bemedaled shaggy dog come up the ladder, wagging his tail and showing all the delight that a patriotic American should at the sight in foreign lands of the Stars and Stripes. The marine almost laughed as Owney stepped aboard and ran up to the officer of the deck as though he had known him all his life.
Owney dined in the mess room, ate plum-duff and lobscouse before the mast, and I could not begin to tell you of all the good things he enjoyed. When he reached Tacoma again he weighed several pounds more than when he started, and I am confident that his trip with the boys in blue on the cruiser Detroit had something to do with it. When he bade his countrymen farewell, he was decorated with the ship's ribbon, and he received a letter of introduction to other officers of the Asiatic squadron from Lieutenant-Commander E. Floyd of the Detroit.
From Fuchau the dog sailed to Hongkong, where he was unfortunately delayed and prevented from making a speed record around the world. He visited the consulate, made a round of visits to the rich tea and silk merchants, and received many curious pieces of Chinese money, which were strung to his collar. From the Emperor of China Owney received a passport bearing the royal crest and dragon, permitting him to travel in the country. But Owney did not go beyond the city, and so much red tape was employed on his departure by the Peninsular and Oriental steamer that Captain Panton of the Victoria finally decided to take the dog traveler back to Kobe, Japan, from which port he finally sailed to New York as the guest of Captain Grant, of the steamer Port Phillip.