Nature's Teachings: Human Invention Anticipated by NatureWood, J. G. (John George)
History
Nature's Teachings: Human Invention Anticipated by Nature
Wood, J. G. (John George)
Inventions; Natural history
One of these creatures, as it appears when covered with its dusty
coating, is seen in the upper left-hand corner of the illustration. It
is slightly magnified.
Below the Reduvius is the common Cuckoo-spit (_Aphrophora spumaria_),
whose frothy masses are so plentiful in our hedgerows and gardens.
If one of these masses be carefully opened, there will be found in it a
little green creature with small, round, dot-like eyes. This is either
the larval or pupal state of the Frog-hopper, as the insect is called
in its perfect state, from its habit of taking long and sudden leaps
when alarmed.
I well remember my delight when, as a child, I set to work at examining
these froth-masses, and succeeded in tracing the insect through all its
changes. The froth is derived from the sap of the tree, which is sucked
through the proboscis, passed through the digestive organs, and then
ejected in a succession of little bubbles. After awhile a little drop of
clear liquid is seen to collect at the bottom of the froth, to increase,
and then to fall, when another immediately begins to be formed. One
species of Cuckoo-spit, which inhabits Madagascar, acts almost like a
siphon on the tree, and pours out large quantities of clear water during
the hottest part of the day.
Within this froth-mass the insect lies concealed, and, though utterly
helpless, is safe from most of the enemies that would attack it if it
were left exposed.
Beneath the Cuckoo-spit is the common Spider-crab, sometimes called the
Thornback-crab, from the numerous spines with which its body is covered.
Its scientific name is _Maia squinado_.
When the Spider-crab attains to a tolerable size, its rough surface
forms attachment for various marine beings, chiefly those belonging to
the zoophytes. In some cases these zoophytes grow to such a size that
the Crab is completely covered by them, and its original shape
effectually concealed. When one of these creatures is seen in a living
state it presents the curious spectacle of a large bunch of zoophytes
and corallines moving about from place to place without any perceptible
limbs, the whole of the surface of the Crab being covered with
extraneous growths.
DISGUISE.
Next comes concealment by means of Disguise.
On the right hand of the accompanying illustration is shown a singular
mode of concealment adopted by the Barea, a warlike and predatorial
tribe of Abyssinia. When Mr. Mansfield Parkyns was resident in Abyssinia
he fell in with the Barea, through whose country he had to pass.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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