Nature's Riddles

Chickeus, two minutes after tliey liare eft the egg, will follow with their eye he niovement of crawling insects and peck at thein, judging distaiice and ilireen with almost infallible acciirany. Tliey will Insthictivcly appreciate sounds, 'eadily running toward au invisible hen ïiildcn in a box when they hear lier "cali." Soine young birds hUo have an imiate, nstinclive horror of the siglit of a hawk and ot' the sound of it voice. Swallows, .itmice, tomtits and wrens, after uaving jeen conflm'd f rom blrth, are capable of lylng succ 'Ssfully atonce when liber.iled, uu their wings having altained the necesary growth to render flijrht possible. The Duke of Argyll relate-s some very interesting particular aboul the instincts t' birds, especially of the water onsei, the mt-rLinser and the wild duck. Even as to the class of beats I tlnd recrded. "Five young polecats were found comfoitably imbedded in dry, witheied grass, and in asidu hole, of proper diuieniMoas for such a larder, were t'orty trogs and two toads, alive, but merely capable of prawling a little. Ou examination the wliole numlMT, toads and all, proved to have been pui posely and dextprously bitten ihroun the briin." Kvulcntly the parent poleckt had thus provided the young with tood which culd bekept pertectlv fresb, because alive and jet was rendered quite unable to escape. This insular instinct is like others which are yet more fully developed amonif insects - a clabB of iinimils, the instincts of which are ko numfrous, wondcrl'ul and notorious ih.it it will be, probably.euough to refer to one or two exainples. The female carpenter bee. In order to protect her eggs, excávate, In sme pirce of wood, a series of chamberí, in special order with a view to a peculiar mde of exit for heryounjt; but the young mother can huve no conscious kuowledge of the series of aclious subseqnently lo ensue. The female of the wasp, tphex, aflonls ariother well-known but very remaikable example for a complex instinct clusely to that already mcntioned in the case ot the polecut. The female wasp has to próvida iresh, living animal food for her p'ogeny, which, when It qults lts egg, quits it in the lorm of an aliuost lielpless grnb, utterly unable to catch, retain or kill an active, etriififlinjc prey. Aci'Oidinjfly the mother insect has not only to piovide and place beside her eggssuilable livlnf prey, but o to t reat it that it may be a helple.-s unresisting victim. That yictlin may be a mere Caterpillar, or it may be a great powerful grusshopper, or even that most tiercé, active and rapneious of insect tyrautg, a feil and venoinoua spider. Whichever it may be, the wasp adroitly stings it at the spot which Induces complete paralysis as to motioii, let us hope as lo sensation al-o. This done, the Waip en torn ba the helpless being with lts owu egg, and leaves it tor the support of the