508 nature's teachings. 



Many years ago, when living in Wiltshire, I was much 

 struck with this fact. There had been an epidemic among 

 sheep, which killed them off so fast that the farmers would at 

 last not even bury them, but took off the skins, and left the 

 bodies to moulder as they best might. 



It was very unpleasant for the farmers, but just the contrary 

 for the Burying-beetles, which simply swarmed in the deserted 

 carcasses. If one of them were tapped with a stick, hundreds of 

 these larvae came scuttling out, displaying an activity which was 

 really remarkable in creatures practically legless. 



In reality this movement is achieved by an apparatus very 

 similar in its action to that of the escapement. The rings, or 

 " segments," of which the body is composed, are furnished with 

 rows of sharp points, arranged very like the cogs of the escape- 

 ment wheel. By alternately elongating and contracting the 

 body, these points catch against surrounding substances, and 

 force the creature onwards, only allowing of movement in one 

 direction. 



Perhaps the reader will remember that in an earlier part of 

 this work it has been mentioned that the various worms propel 

 themselves by the same means. So do the Serpents, the 

 edges of the scales serving the same purpose as the hairs of the 

 worms and the hooks of the grub. 



Union is Strength. 



On the left hand of the accompanying illustration we have 

 an example of the wonderful power obtained by uniting 

 together a number of comparatively weak objects. It repre- 

 sents a portion of the rope attached to the harpoon with which 

 the natives of some parts of Africa attack and kill the hippo- 

 potamus. 



Considering that a full-grown hippopotamus weighs several 

 tons, and, in spite of its enormous size, is as active as a tiger, 

 we can infer the strength of the rope which must be needed to 

 hold such an animal when excited with rage and pain. 



A few years ago the female hippopotamus at the Zoological 

 Gardens, when deprived of her cub, actually tried to leap over 

 the lofty iron barrier, and so far succeeded as to throw her 

 weight on the uppermost bar. Fortunately it was made of 

 well-wrought iron, and was only bent by her weight. Had it 



