Ontario Community Newspapers

Flesherton Advance, 20 Mar 1929, p. 3

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wV^' MISUNDERSTOOD BUSY SPIDER | CHECKS MANY INSECT PESTS' Familiar Leo Will Soon Be Heard Say "HeUo Folk-" 1 He Spins His Web or Trap Instinctively, Without Learning How â€" ^Yet He Has the Dawning of a Mind and tures the Moth as It Flies Capti By J. ARTHUR THOMSON. Professor of Natural History, Univer- sity of Aberdeen. ' , In the New York Times perience, without any apprenticeship, without any learning. That Is the mystery of instinct. The web Is made true to pattern the very first time the fes, of us are devoted to snaUes. spider tries true to the particular pat- â-  terr. of that particular species. It can , be made in the course of an afternoon I or In less time. It can be made in the dark. few of us dote on centipedes, and one cannot say that there is a strong pre- judice in favor of spiders. Yet spid- ers are fascinating in their works and ways. We like them almcst in spite of themselves. One of the few unwise things that En\erBon did was to describe an Im- proved earth in which there should be no spiders. A 'Ittle natural his- tory would soon have convinced him that the world without spiders would be unf-ndurable, for it Is by means of spldeis that the In.iect scourge is kept In checl;. There is an old ada^e with much truth In It: If you wish to live and thrive. Let the spider ruu alive. SpiUcra are not insects. They are nu uBiirer to insects thau reptiles are tu i>ird». Spiders have nu wings, whilo almost all insects have; yetj spiders can make aerial }ourue>s on | liiii wiugo oi ihti vviuii, buruu by their bilkeu parachuieb. bpiders have uu Xeeier* vt antennae, vviiicu all insects iiavu, yet sploers. spouk. tj uue an- oLhtif by vibratious They have a bttiiso of touch uuesuelled lu the whole animal kiuedom. They have siniciuree that take the place of feel- er.i and are exquisite organs uf tac- titlly. A isplder has four pairs of legs, while iin iuiject Las three pairs. At iho e-j'.l wi tbo spiier'a legs are curve'4 toothed claws by which the apider can hold ou to anything that has fz\y ruugliuuss of buriace. A bpider often runs along the celling ho'.uicg on to tDe plaster with these Llaws-^a remarkable acrobatic teat, tlefyiaj gravity. A^piaer's Equipment \t'uuu iustjcts uave iiui;e paha ul ju\t!j. Hiiiuers have iwu puUa, auU in their luoutbs is a part ilku a hall- upeu "HUKniie. at tUu bade ot wliich is a I'oisuu giaiid. All splUurs are imi.ic'Uous, and they poison theii' vie- imis I'V nipiung tuem wita this kuite- ilKo veapou. A spider has a walbt, augii»;MTUig the waist of a waop, a uair'.>'.v isthmus between head and brciit>(, which are joined in uue, and ihe i>'j3terlor. body. .. Through that uarr'â- _•^' waist, as narrow often as a waii)'.t. the food canal, the nerves and tlie l-'.ood vessel tave to pass. All cpiders have bpiunihg glands' also, Irom <vhich cumes a multiple jet of liU'iH eilk. Auethcr peculiarity of spiders Is I'.i.^t they hatch out aa tuUy-t'ormed }'i>ui>g tpidurs, whereaa most of the ius«CL^ enitrge iriim the egg as gniur;, caterpillars ur some other litrni of larvae. Cut out uf tue bjiitt^r s egg there comes a creature itiac tma simply to grow auii moult 10 become a full-sized spider. Just us WB cannot understand hive Uii'.ia without kuowlng Komethiug ithuut wax, or wasps unless txo uu- dev3>.<ind the i>aper of Ihuir beautiful liaiisuig houses, so wo cauuot uuder- utatiu tn« spiaer unless vm know boiuvi.auig aoout silk, for all spiders are uUk producers. This bilk is a liquiu. it Is exuded Irom a large nuui<it.'r of emaii glands iu thu yos- leriyr part of tno bpider'a body. It <'oul<^s out as a liquid jet, which liara»Mis instantaneously uu ejiposura to HIT. Out ot that liquid silk the vpluer makes all sorts of coatriv- •nct>.>. It is always paying out a drag line of Bilk aa it moves ou dltuculi journeys. It a spider in ci-««piag alou.(; the celling and Its footing gives war, instantly it presses Its spiaaing arms against the whitewash and 6oi In making an ordinary web the spider first lays the foundation lines, often four in number; and these are [ made particularly strong, for they are '. used over and over again. Next the I spider starts from the middle of the ; top foundation line and drops to the middle of the lower Coundatlon line, ': paying out a line of silk, and pulls â-  that taut. Then it climbs up that line, , pauses for a moment in the middle, begins to pay out another line, walks along the upper fcyindation line to the right-hand corner and pulls the third ray taut. Then back again to the cen- tre, down the lower half of the cen- tral ray. away to the lefthand corner, paying out the lower drag lien and tightening It. So It goes on from side to side until the rays of the web are like the spokes of a wheel. Now tue spider gueo tu the centre of the weu aud witli pecular strides swings from ray to ray, paying out what is calleti the primary spiral, which IS uot viscid, but is just the scaffolding. VVheu it has completed the primary spiral, which binds all tl;8 rays together. It starts at the cir- cumlierence and with a different kind of bwingiug movement it makes the second spiral, th« sticky spiral, the spiral that forms the snare for the luafects. iieiug very economical, as It maKes auu completes tne secondary spiral it eats up the primary spiral, tne scauuiaiiig tbai made the second spiral puboiLj.e. lu lue making of au ordinary garden spider's web there are titbo lour cliapters; L,ayiug the foundation lines, making the., rays, making the primary spiral and mak- ing the viscid secondary spiral. An Architec-. by Instinct about Lue t«eo. I'uot, it la luauo ver> uuiciio ; oiteu it is maue oveiy ua>, jusl aa a part ot lUe uay s rouLiue, iiiuugu lue luuuuatiou Hues are useu over ttuu o>er ugaiu. oecuud, eacu mud UL spidei, ii it makes a vteb at all, makes it of a particular pattern. Kvery species has its owu arcLitec- ture. Third, the web is not the prod- uct of Intelligence â€" there is no hope lu that theory â€" but Is made Instinc- tively,! without learning-, without HOLD YOUR EAKa, L-tU i;> OUirtii iU (jiU littyJ inu -,-.- ••• ' • Leo, iamous tiadeniurk of ilelroUoldw>ii-.Vlayer inelures, has become a iauiiliar luovio .-o â€" -^ •• â-  ' •P'*^' tures are screened. His well-knowu roars, hitherto siieut, are now being recorded for lalkiug uevii-es, ao il wiU be -See and Hear Leo" a dome, she lays her eggs aud brings' up iier young. Can one understand auyiliius about the mlud of the spider.' it is pecu- liarly dinicult lor man, who is a crea- ture (jf intelligence, to got psycholo- gically near a creature wuosu wuoie iue IS dominated l>, iuatiuct. SplderS make iheli- weo, their trap-dour, their diving bell iustiuciively. We kuow ti.at bccauau they Uo it peitecily the very tlrst time, aud also because ul another impressive fact; if we inter- rupt tUcm when they are iu the mid- dle uf their buliuiug operaliumi tiiey are slraugeiy nonplused, uuite uulike a dug or a cat that appreciate liitel- ligcnily the relatiuus of things. The spider is puzzled aud ofteu has lu be- 1 giu again at the beginning, like a > child repeating a piece tuat it has learned uy lute auu dues uut verj weU uuderstaud. ^et the tfpider has the dawning of miiid. If >uu give it a tempting lly tUat has beeu ulpped lu turpeutiue It eagerly snatches at tue food, but soon rejects It. Ulve It half au hour New Sources of Rubber Located by Exploration in Madagascar VVaahiugiou â€" Tweiiiy-lUiee pUuis believed to be poteullal sources of rub- ber are amuug botanical specimeus which i>r. Charles F. awingla of the U.S. iiepartment of Agriculture re- cently bruugi.1 irom Madagascar. Di: awiuii.e la the Urst Amerioau to vidil the lalaud ou a plaui-huutlug e.i.piuraliuu. iils trip was made poa- sible liiiuugh the cu-operation of the oureau of plant Industry with the Arnold Aiboit;tum of Boston, the Uni- versity of Algiers, and by the friendly iuierest of the French aud Madagascar governments. Ten uf the plants are being com- mercially exploited for rubber at the preaeut time lu ^Madagascar, Dr. awmgie sayo. Some of them have al- ready beeu lulroduced into the UulteU States aud are being tested iu tho I departments experlmeut garden lu to forget and try again with the tur- '^"""'«^» '''°"'i*- ^. ^ , . pentined lly. The instinct is too' Another plant which promises to be strong; the spider wstes forward, i°« economic importance is the alom- ..onsisted of 40 . . 1 .»! , 1, bora, a large leguminous tree which 'paity ou tue marcn (.oiiaisiea or -lu training, though It may be adjusted seizes tue piey auu lejects V . "leety " a gum used in varn- 1 or 50 men and 30 miles was a good to difficulties or to situations by a asam ':-» -' "â- â€¢ '-â- â- â€¢ "•'•> " .-.ii . V'OQ«ces leety. iuciuded in the cuUectiou, amuug lliem a number of specimeus of elephant's toot, several aloes aud a rare hibiscus- like shrub. A uupiicctle set of tho cuiiectiuu was icit at I'ananarive as a "uest egg" tu aerve lor replacmg m case uf luss ur mjuiy to tne collection during Its luug juurucy to the uuited States. Another liuplicato set was aeut to the Univers- ity of Los Angles. AltuougU Ul. owiuglo «as liudiug uew rubber plants that may enable the rest of tue world to couiiuue to â- 'ride on rubber," he wes uot so for- tunate at ail times m his owu mode of travel, in the suutheru part of the islauu wueie must oi liia time v^aa spent, transpoilatiun wua eilreineiy aiUicult. Ailhougu aome uf the trip was made by uutumubile, at timea it was necessary tu .ise the "lilauzaua, " a sort of sedan chair swung on two poles carried by four natives. With the baggage carriers and guides the Killing On High Seas Involves 4 Nations The United States Deports to Brazil Sailor Who Caused Death of Norwegian on Swedish Vessel A story of manslaughter on the high boa.s. which started with the quarrel cf two sailors over a shaving brush and has caused International complications, tas now been brought to nn end, through llio extradition re- cently to Brazil of Francesco, alias Jlauuel De Llni.i. a ninataen-ycar-old oiler on the Swadisu ste.nr.ior Llguria of the Swedish Lloyd line. The events date to Aug. 2;;. last year, when the steamer was thirt3--slx miles oft Ambrose Light, Port of Nev; Yorlt, according to statements made by witnesses at the time. lima ".vas shaving ou deck wl.en Olaus Mi.nson, to have a drink of water and saw that his shaving brush was being used. He took the brush from Lima, but there was no quarrel. Later the two men had breakfast together. Afterward, however, they were found lighting, witnesses said, and Lima struck Mon- sou so severely with an Iron bar that he died from internal injuries the fol- lowing day. Before his death Mon- son gave his version of the row. De Lima, ou his part, maintained he had beeu persecuted by his leilow-sallor. He aumllted the b.ow. A prelimin- ary hearing was iielU en board the steamer by the Assistant Onited Slates Attorney. The brabiiiau sail- or was arrested aud placed In Jau in Brooklyn. Ulof 11. Lamm, Swedish Cunsul Ueueral iu New iork, suught imme- aiaiely to have L»b Lima sent to aweuen to bo tried there, as the crime was commuted ou board a Swedish ateamer ou the high seas. At tne :iame time the Swedish Legation lu \>asningi.uu commumcaied vsith the aecretury ot atata aud asKed lor Ue Lima s ejctraditluu. lUe caae rtua referred to riitradi- liim Cuinmissiouer William J. W iisou cji tue iederal Court, liiasleru Uls- irict uf New York, wUo deciued thai lUtt eitradltlou treaty betweeu the ijuited States aud Sweden was not appiicauie. S-urtly afterward the ueiJurtuieut ot Labor deported Uo Lima to Ulu de Janeiro. 11 aeeUiS i.ke..; liu .v mill the S<\ed- lau aua i\ur.>egiUii autuoritles Wlii oueij. tu have Uv Lima ii.eU Lciore a ijraziiiau cuurt. jiauuel ue uurrus, Louaui Ueuerai for uraiiii lu New lui'K, has LaKeu charge oi the caae. lipice of Judgment. In spiders the aexes usually differ greatly iu size. Ordluailiy tUe male IS a pigmy cumpared wlla his mate. 'Ihe uispiuportiuu is almost incred- ible, it is as if a mau six feet high were to marry a Wumau the height of a church steeple or as if a mau weighing ItiU poundsvvero to mate the prey aud rejects it Uive it au hour aud it will ; 1";°""'^'^^ , repeal the process. * But after three | with woman weighlug ;iOO,OUO pouuds, iu tue breeding season these pigmy mates, wiiicu have uu eud oi pluck, uileu mjel together la iUlle com- pauies aud hgnt. They light like those blrus luai used to breed lu isriiain, tue runs, whose mates are called rooves, that are still vlsiturs to the Norfolk Bruads. The cum- bats uf the rufts have ufteu beeu uescribuu, and siBiiiap combats occur among spiders. I'ney Ught and light, lijur alter hour, but at the eud lUere is uo wuuuded warrior, 'i'hcir duels are like those of polltlclausâ€" most vlgoruus aud spirited, Uut uu bleed Ii| Urawu. CeurtiDB Under OiffteuUitt TUe wale spider's courtiuc has lo laa ulnk with dignity to the ground, | be duue with vare. Ue may show {laying out a rope of silk. Sometimes I off Uis good puluts ot color and it changes Its mind wheu half-way I agility; he may dance around his de- down and turns again aud climbs up sired mate, sometimes a hundred the rope, winding in the silk as it i times, at a great rate, or ha may Id ascends. Every spider has this power other ways -for instance, by twlrllns of paying out a drug line. j une ot the threads leading to the web The drag line is of the same mu- on which he is sittingâ€" Indicate his ish manufacture. Numerous ornamen- 1 avrs'l tyaU .e bls-Nngelesingshrdnn ur fuur times no more turu'ent^ed i tal plants, shrubs, vine ; an d trees are . day's travel, hies fur that spider. it has mlud tu tho exteut that it can prolit by ex- perience. Next day it will have uu- thiug to do with Ules that look like the turpentined lly. it Is taxa to nelieve that some uf the tUlngs that spiders do are uot actuated by reasou. lu (Queensland, Australia, lives a Uue spider called the iUagnllicentâ€" the female is like a hit of ralubow. This spider makes uo web but still has a Tay of get- ting its iuud. It lowers itse.f fium a twig ou the cud of a thread about three inches long', ihcu puts out a short thread abuut au mcr luug. with a vlacld drop at the end. VVheu a muth comes iiyuig past iu the dusk the spider casts lor It with the visclu globule aud draws it iu as a Usuer- uiau lauds a bass. 'Ihe trick is su wonderful oue feels It must have a little inteliigeuce behind it. . Jluks: "iC you drop kuiveg aud forks it means company a tomiiifi." The baby 1 eeth A iJeries or .-vriicies ot inter- est to ali Mothers, Young and Old Particularly Young uu'^ mitny suuiiut tuxrii lie.' â-  AStt sheddiug. they commence to be lost. iheae are lUe temporary ur decidu- uua leetii â€" Ueiu^ itiiowu aibu as the milk teeth ', Hum wuicu )ou wiil be aware, oL cuurse, that they won't be retained right through adult age. They should all reuiaiu iu place, how- ever, until abuut the seventh year, wheu, through tho natural process of iiiiw lingers and ten little to«a â€" mak- ing tfteuiy in allâ€" aud there juu have tholr uumber, Kasy to remember, lau'i It.' Aud when should you beglu tu look fur Ihem'i Abuut the sUth or seventh mouth. Aud which cumes tirat? As a rule, the lutver trout tootii, the ceutral in- cisor. Su utter ali baby's frettuluess he iij.i a brand uew tooth or two â€" so wlilte and so aouud they look that yuu uever give a thuught tu future tooth troubles. i'heu the other eighteen or uiueteeu white coated little "millers' will fol- iiiuks: "It you miss theu, it meausjiow at somewhat regular lutervals tertal as the nest lining, the auare, the web and the cobweb, which Is II low-grade web without auy geo- metrical pattern. Wo t-dmlre the web ot ft garden spider and wouder how HHch a beautiful aud effective thing iatentious. But the female has a capricious temper, and what begins playlully r.nd pleasantly often ends in a death wheu she makes a rush at iiim. Bui. while the female spiders are they're goue." until Souuy is two years old, wheu he iheu, as tne timu approaches fur the eruption uf the second set. uuiess the hrst teeth are suthcieutiy separ- ated lu iruut lu aliuw une ur twu thlckuesaes uf blottiug paper betweeu tuem, tUu arches have uut properly expauded aud the secuud set la cer- tarn to be crowded aud Irregular, in suca caae, the lamily deutist siiuuld always he cuusuited. Since Sonny Is guiut; tu lose these amall teeUl iu good time aud gel a nice new set, wuy iKilher to care for th«m'^ Well, iitUo Soiiuy does uot waut a luoih-ache auy more thau do you â€" and for several other good reasons, ot which more to follow. A Foolith Stunt That Should Be Stopped I ouW bo evolved. Whew we notice j cro.-is-graUied os sweethearts, tuey thf) drag Hue, the threads about the are devoted as mothers, unsurpassed nest, the tangle ot the snare, the uu- iu care for the young. The eggs, tidy cobweb aud the simple webs, we' wrapped up In beautiful silken bags, see i>y how long a process of evolu-lsre hidden under stones or among tlon the orb web has becomo possible. The drag line is the foundation ot oil. One use spiders have tor their silk 1« to make a cradle tor tho young. They wrap up the ese-» in a ellkeu l>a(C, a cocoon. TUe cocoon ot an lu- Hect Is the enclosure that the larval insect makes for the lime of the gi^eat metaraorphosls when the caterpillar ihanges luto a butterfly. But the. «oooon of a spider la guile different.. It 1.^ n sllkea bag for holdiug the eggs and by and by thejou/ig spiders. Sometimes the threads of silk are used as a parachute by means of which the small spiders are wafted for miles thrOifgU the air. Darwin ie<--ord9 in bis -"VoTage'ctt the Beagle" tkal the ship's rlggfiig wa covered with llUle spiders sixty miles oS the coasts ot South Anerlca. These aer- on.i«its had been borne on the wind ma xr leagues over the sea before the^ r.'>: t to rest oB tbe ship. « spider maken Its web by in the twigs of a biisli, or under loose bark. yomelimes tl:e mother spider is Btlll more careful and carries her cocoon about with her. holding It tlrmly aud binding It to her body with silken threads. It you take away the silken cocoon, about tho sUo of a pill, from the mother, and put it at a slight distance, you may se» her search about Slie Is rery short-.'ilglSted: she gropes and feels tor "the lo.st cocoon It you give it to her again, she trundle^. It under her body aud off she eoes. -One mother spider makes a trap- door nest, a wonderful coutrifauce 'e^inioa In Ihe' south of Itan'ce,"* ^eei> aUaft sunk' in the.jtrouad, lyjAC «£iooth. plastered smootb and fitted Will a Xd w<<'< • sKkeu Utnge. AU tttft trouble is not for a house for her bnt for a cradle for the yonng ones. .\notlier clever mother Is the inimlt- able water spider. Sbe makes a web undernettli the water and fills It with Britain's 'Safety Glass" it is BuUet-Pfoof ar.d Non-Dis- colorable. Laboratory Tests Show lU utoci.uiiio t-v; 1.1. "â-  "iiaiety tjluao, ktUlcU la asaerteu tu ue ' uuu- opiiuieruoie, uuu-discolurauio aud uuu- iuiiauiaiuu.e, " aud whicu was recently pulcuiea by au l:,uglish lirm, The Lou- auu Uully iciegrapu notes auiue of tue tesLs lu .vuicii it uas beeu suoject- ud aua lis appearance as iu.iuws; "iesls at 1' art' uay iiuusu icsiiuji L,aboruturles have been made of Ox? uew ijiuss. Subjected tu a powerful uiercavj >apui .uuip lur itveuty-Iuu!, uuurs il ahuwed no discoloration, al IhuugU lue teuipuraiure ol tUe glas^ wueu uudcr test was abuut I'l.i'. Wheu aervicu i'cuitur uuucts were Urtd at the i^Aass at uistauces uf leu aud tiveuLy-uve yarua the glass was pul- verlzcu tu a deptu of i.'i'i uf an iuch uuly. ' lu ai'ieai-aucu it is almubl Ideutl- cai wiin urdiuary giass. il cau be madu lu auy suape ur sue (withiu the limits imposed by the protective raw materials) aud lu any thickness, trum that of thi) Uuest optical glass lo that uf bullet-proof glass. "The facts that 'itetar is not made with the ordinary celluloiu (nitro- cellulo.'iei whicL upon exp spure to the sun°N rays 'becomes discolored even In temperate zones, and that it is not inflammable, are advantages liaimed fir ii !>y U^ iii,nnn;a> tiuers." Britain Plans Curb i on Forced Labor 8TUNT RIDER FORCES MOUNT THROUGH FLAlvrES At a Mexican rodeo held In \»cnl Pailt. l.o.s Aiigeles. Captain Clans Fitt staged this darlnj anfi siievaciilar ;„ i,y that te to say, without any ex- dry «to-. and ia that dl»lBf bell, aa In rW« Ihroiirt dame and smok* on his horse "«ed Head* ! Gradual Eliniiiiation of Ser- vice in Kind in Tropics is I .Aim of Dominions I So^-retary Lon<l()U -The Oomiuiuus Secretary, I i.. C. .M. S. Amcry, at a League of ' Nations fuion conference on forced labor ht»re. referring to the survival ot thi^ institution iu .Africa, said the iiuesfion was how gradually to limit ;iud in tinu' oUminui>>, those forms ol iM^toniary service in kind, lie re- fiM'ri'd piuiicnlarly to public roads aud iliaiimso works, on xvhldi sei-vioe in kind in SI ill held iudi'<pen.'<able iu some liackward areai'. The- Colonial Cndersecretary, Wil liain .\. Ormsby 'lore, said forced I;'bi>r had been eliminated practically everywliere in British territory out- side ol tropical Afrii-a and its main use to-day. whether for nativa or pro- lectorate governments, wa.< iu counec- lion with roads. llo claimed that couditioot nudei which compulsory labor was resnrtefi Kritish admlnisl ration wert wmx^ivatlvelji tree from abnaeB.

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