Naturalist

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 362, 16 April 1903, Page 7

Naturalist

INVENTION OF HOBBEBHOES. *m|BON horseshoes permanently fixed to BlfE ** e llcotß were introduced in the gK; fourth cebtury of the Christian era.

On the grassy plains of Asia and on the open ground elsewhere shoes were not needed; but the Bomans soon found that their paved roads wore the hoof away and often lamed an animal when his cervices were the most needed. They could devise no better rf medy, however, than leather eoles and bags to protect the hoof, though tbere is reason to believe that they had an iron shce which they put on and took oil at pleasure. Some writers are of the opinion that the later Bomans had learned to nail the shoe under the hoof, but it seems possible that the crescent-Bhaped korseshoe of mcdern tim s was first invented in tome parts of Asia. TOBACCO CHEWING DOG. ' Old Peter Jenkins, of onr town, has the only tobacco-chewing dog I ever heard of,' says a Bristol man in the 1 Philadelphia Becord.' * The dog is now over 10 years old, and, so far as anybody knowß, he has been u slave to the habit ever since he was a puppy. Peter himself says he doesn't remember how the, pup acqnired the taste; maybe he was born with it. At any rate Peter never tflkt:, a chew without offering on-2 to the dog, if he is around, and the dog never refuses. If Peter should happen to forget he wculd soon be forcibly reminded of his oversight. : It-;is a curious, thing to/seethe dog lying with his head in his paws, working his jaws over a juicy quid. He swallows it, too, and'it Tiever seems to make him sick. NEW BBEEDS IN POUI/IEY

The ..laajti quarter of the nineteenth century saw the appearance of many, .sew breeds and varieties of fowlß. The fanciere of the United Sta'es and England were especially active'in such production, and the list of theee new, or comparatively new, breeds and varieties is formidable. The knowledge that the greatest profits were f6 he derived from improved breads and varieties, and that the promise of Buch improved breeds and varieties lay ; in the manufacture of new, rather than in the development of the old breeds of fowls, serves to explain and to jnstify this profnunced activity. The first essential toward the creation of a new breed or variety is the formation cf an.ideal., f The cleatqr the: ideal the' more accurately directed will be • the breeder's efforts. But a clearly formed ideal may require to be changed during the progress of his operations. The results may prove that in its original form it is either impractical or imperfect. Having formed his ideal of the new breed or variety the breeder should select, from existing breeds. or varieties, the ones which will give him the best materials for the accomplishment of his purpose. For example, it is known that whan a fowl with the black-red type of coloration —Buch as is seen upon the Brown Leghorn or Blackbreasted Bed Game male—is crossed with a pure white fowl, the black disappears, while the red remains, and the red pile coloration is produced. Why black should be an evanescent color and red a permanent one is mysterious; but the fact is as has boon stated, and needs to be known in making crosses. So, too, it is a fact that the Light Brahma marking—a white body coloring, with black stripes in the hackle, black in the wings and a black tail—can be produced by croEßing a fowl transversely barred upon one pure white in color.—Outing. AMAZON ANT GARDENS. Dr. E. Ule contributes to Engler'a Jabrbuch (30), Beiblati) some interesting tbEervations on' 'ant gardens' in the Amazon region, where they abound oa a large number of e-oody plants. They are generally spherical hi form and about the size of a walnut. They are formed by several species of ant, which appear to collect the seeds of many different plants and to sow them in these nests, covering up the seedlings with humus when they begin to germinate. In the structure of these ' ant epiphytes' the foliage and the roots display characters which especially adapt them for" the situation in which they grow, and rrerrcre p. ho the protection of the ants Ui.ea:£c!v»-8 ia tfce-vr nsfjfc. Quite a number of the aiipLyi" 1 s vr<-e found by Ule as denizens-of the antgardens and nowhere else. • A TBUE DOG STOBY.

There really Beams to be np end to the wonderful- things dote by dogs. A correspondent of a contemporary writeß: A lady is the owner of a very sagacious Newfoundland deg called Don. The other day Don,; .who frequently goes to the grocery or market for his mistress, was Bent after.a. basket of eggs. As ha was returning home, carrying his basket with a proud, dignified air, he met a dog against whom he had an old grudge. He eet his burden down carefully on the walk; then, giving a bark of challenge, started after nis enemy on a dead run. A friend of his mistress, who witnessed this proceeding, picked -up the -basKet and carried it to itß proper destination Meanwhile Don, having vanquished his foe, returned to the spot where he had left his eggs. On discovering that they had disappeared, he ran aroußd frantically, trying to find them. Finding his effort vain, he sat down, and lifted up his voice in a howl of anguish, ae visions of his mistress's whip, or at least the loas of his dinner, crossed his mind. Suddenly he started for home at a brisk trot. Sneaking out into the back yard, he picked up an old discarded basket chat lay in one corner of the yard, and carried it in and deposited it at the feet of his mistress. He had been taught that when he goes to the grocery for any article they do not happen to have, to. return and give a succession of sharp barks. This he proceeded to do, as if to say: * They are out of eggs to-day.'