another, more attractive to the fancy than 

 his spider. This was his pet locust 

 called "Whiskers" that lived in his room 

 all her life, having been reared from an 

 egg. This is his delightful account of 

 her: "She is quite tame and recognizes 

 me as soon as I approach, often hopping 

 two feet or more in order to light on my 

 coat sleeve or out-stretched hand. The 

 first thing she does after reaching m}' 

 hand is to seek my little finger and tr)' 

 her jaws on a diamond ring. The dia- 

 mond seems to puzzle her greatly. She 

 sometimes spends several minutes close- 

 ly examining it. She will stand off at 

 a distance and pass her antennae over 

 every portion of it. Then she will come 

 closer and make a more minute exami- 

 nation, finally essaying another bite with 

 her powerful jaws. A great water- 

 drinker, she evidently thinks the stone is 

 some strange kind of dew-drop, hence 

 her persistent efforts to bite it. "Whisk- 

 ers" has developed canabalistic tastes, for 

 the hardened skin around my finger nails 

 is a favorite morceau which she digs out 

 with her sharp jaws and masticates with 

 seeming delight. She nips out a piece 

 of skin, cocks her head on one side, and 

 looking at me with her clear emerald- 

 tinted eyes, her masticatory apparatus 

 working like a grist-mill, she seems to 

 say, "Well, old fellow, this is good." She 

 passes most of her time on a bit of turf, 

 in a box on my table, where the sun 

 shines bright and warm. She is fond of 

 water, however, and makes frequent ex- 

 cursions to the water-pitcher across the 

 room. How she discovered that it con- 

 tained water is more than I can tell, but 

 she did and visits it often. It is in her 

 habits of bodily cleanliness, however, 

 that "Whiskers" outshines all other in- 

 sects. I have watched her at early dawn 

 and have always found her at her toilet. 



This is her first undertaking, even before 

 taking a bite to eat. She makes frequent 

 toilets during the day, and it is her last 

 occupation at night before sinking to rest 

 on a blade of grass." 



If such little unnoticed members of the 

 animal world are so interesting, how 

 much more so the higher animals. Ern- 

 est Thompson Seton has opened our eyes 

 to the inner lives and individualities of 

 the wild animals and the birds and Dal- 

 las ,Lore Shrap has taught us how much 

 of this curious and fascinating life one 

 with sharp eyes may see even in the 

 familiar places about his own home. Shy 

 as are these fellow creattires one may of- 

 ten strike up quite an acquaintance by 

 showing friendliness and discretion. 

 Bradford Torrey tells us how he formed 

 a friendship with a vireo who became so 

 accustomed to him that she would allow 

 him to approach and caress her as she 

 sat upon her nest. That is as fine, in its 

 way, as to have a personal acquaintance 

 with the President or a member of the 

 Royal family. 



But the plant world is as well worth 

 knowing as the animal, and much easier 

 to get acquainted with, for the flowers 

 and plants and trees never run away, 

 and they are almost all friendly and gen- 

 tle. Every one ought to be on terms of 

 personal affection with some noble tree. 

 It is a friendship worth cultivating. So 

 is that gi the flowers. The friend of 

 Nature may well address her as Words- 

 worth did the Daisy : 



And all day long I number yet, 

 All seasons through, another debt, 

 Which I, wherever thou art met, 



To thee am owing; 

 An instinct call it, a blind sense, 

 A happy, genial influence. 

 Coming one knows not how, nor whence, 

 • Nor whither going. 



John Wright Buckham. 



103 



