SOCIAL LIFE AMONG ANIMALS.

Colonist, Volume XVII, Issue 1929, 19 June 1875, Page 4

SOCIAL LIFE AMONG ANIMALS.

In" a paper read a I & ■kin public sitting of the Brussels Academy of Sciences by M. Van Benedin-, he remarks th:;i; there exists a ; yrftHt analogy betvreon hu.aii.in society and • ihafc of-auimals. In the Litter we find, : iyAiti aa often as in our vrn-.UI, an honest set ■-;■'*;«'.tag their livelihood by ilvAv industry; , \'>us tbore is another set of idlers and vagabowk that livo entirely by their wits, and at ■ ?,hf r'\nonso of their thrifty neighbors, dome < a .'•>:• jvuviaitea, and feed on their vitals; others' i arc <'ontant to sit at the same? table ruul enjoy | the good things before them, That Ihore are masons, carpenters, miaow, uud architects among the lower creation, is a well-known fact; but we may be startled to find among them manufacturers of paper (a sort of-South Americ in wasp, the Cliartcgus Ohartarius) and Bhip-builders (a sort of fish discovered by Agassiz, that builds itself a floating neat of seaweeds), &c. We have the cheat that leads the life of a gentleman (the cuckoo and pegarus), the humble pickpocket (the magpie), and the ruthlesa highwayman (the tiger, shark, &c).. But then there are some that cannot live without being a burden to others; such are certain Crustacea, like the copepoda, that will stick to an ascidian and partake of its prey ; or the fish called remora, that will anchor itself to the body of a good swimmer, and let itself be conveyed along without any personal trouble, catching its prey from its snug berth. Others there are that will do a friend, a neighborly service; such is a sort of plover, that will enter a crocodile's mouth and cleanse its teeth of the remnants of the last breakfast, a service the saurian cannot perform itself because of the stiffness of its tongue ; so that it has the advantage of a living tooth-pick. . This fact is mentioned by Aristotle, and has since been found true. Among parasites properly so called, there many that do not take to their roguish mode of living till they get old, until then they will roam about in perfect liberty. Sometimes, like the hopryans, a sort of Crustacea, both male aud female will seek together a refuge for their old age in another organism of their kind; at others, it is only the female that does so, while the male remains at large; this is the case of the,worm filaria of. Medina. The female will soinetimesyaa in the case of the lernians, carry her male about with her ; and as she feeds on her Amphytrion, he feeds upon her.

A Banish lady in Melbourne manufactures the mostbeautiful artificial flowers out of the scales; of Norwegian codfish. ' Eighty-two, pounds; sterling were lately given at an auction in .London for an autograph letter of' Queen Elizabeth to Henry jY. : ; ;.= ,; :i ; :.-.v .... ■•■■;:..• ■-.:, :.. . \ Since 1869, thirty-sis thousand four'hundred and twelve Spanish soldiers are said to have succumbed, on the field, or died from disease. , ' Diphtheria.,—lt is stated in the Scientific American, on the authority of Dr. lievillout, that lemon-juice used as a gargle is an effi-' cacious specific against diphtheria and similar' throat troubles. He has successfully thus employed it tor over,eighteen years. Anew shoal ojr bank,is reported' co have been, discovered off the-fcicilly. Island. ■ •

Judge Noel, of Melbourne, is at present ill of scarlet fever. . ".• Home Swindles.—The N§w South Wales Government calculates that it ■ has ■ been1 defrauded out of at least £100,000 by havin! g inferior railway material supplied at' the price of first-class material. The swindle has apparently been carried on for a long time without detection until growing bold by immunity, the parties concerned sent out aome shipments so very bad as to attract the attention of unprofessional men. — Post. • • . What a Wife !—Mr Wilson, who lives in the Ballarat district, is blessed with a atrong-minded and strong-landed wife. (80 j says " Atticus" in the Melbourne Leader). Shortly after the honeymoon was over she began keeping pigs, and butchered # them herself, killing as many as fourteen in one day, filling up the time by shingling and rebuilding the house, enlarging the garden and planting trees. Besides this, she makes her own dresses and her husband's shirts and stockings, keeps a public house, serves in tbe bar, and doctors all the neighbors. The only question is, " What can her husband find to do? .