180 
1?HE RURAL, NEW-YORKEH 
COLOR IN ANIMAL LIFE. 
The normal colors of animal life come 
mainly under the laws of protective 
mimicry and adaptation to environ¬ 
ment. The stripes of the tiger har¬ 
monize with the reeds among which he 
lies in wait for prey, and those of the 
zebra help to conceal him among the 
long-leaved tropical foliage. The spots 
of the leopard and the giraffe mingle 
with the sun and shadows of the for¬ 
est leaves, and the dull color of the lion 
blends with the hues of the desert and 
the plain. In the arctic regions, where 
the landscape is white with snow 
throughout the year, there are white 
bears, white foxes, white owls, etc. 
Along the snow line of the high moun¬ 
tains of almost any latitude are found 
white or light gray sheep and goats. 
In the northern part of the temperate 
zone, where the snow covers the earth 
for half of the year, but disappears en¬ 
tirely during the remaining months, 
some animals become white or nearly so 
in Winter, but turn brown or dark gray 
in Summer, as, for instance, the com¬ 
mon weasel, the varying hare, the ptar¬ 
migan and the snow-bunting. But white 
animals may be found in any climate, 
and white individuals occasionally ap¬ 
pear in species of any other color, as 
white crows, white robins, white squir¬ 
rels, white rats and white mice. These 
are known as “albinos,” and the law 
of their being is beyond the ken of the 
present writer. He has, however, seen, 
in addition to the examples above 
named, albino blackbirds, vesper spar¬ 
rows, English sparrows, quails, wolves, 
deer, horses and men. A perfect albino 
has a milk-white skin, snow-white hair, 
fur or feathers, and eyes with red pu¬ 
pil and pink iris. This form is rather 
common among rabbits and cats. Lo- 
bo’s mate, in “Wild Animals I Have 
Known,” was of this type. White buf¬ 
faloes were sometimes seen in the great 
herds that once roamed over our west¬ 
ern prairies. The noted white ele¬ 
phants of Siam are albinos. 
Some time ago a newspaper contrib¬ 
utor raised the question whether any¬ 
one had ever seen a white colt, and 
took the ground that no colt was ever 
born white, but that white horses in¬ 
variably are black, drab or brown when 
very young. The writer has seen one 
colt two weeks old that was entirely 
white—hair, skin, hoofs and all—and 
has seen the photograph of another of 
about the same age and description. He 
has also known several men who were 
true albinos. These may be found in 
any race of mankind. Many albinos 
are said to exist among certain black 
tribes in Africa. A female albino often 
reproduces her type regardless of the 
color of her mate. White varieties of 
domestic fowls, pigeons, rabbits and 
cats have originated in this way. While 
albinos may appear in any species of 
animal life, the type is not always per¬ 
fect. Spotted robins, rats, mice, rabbits, 
etc., are not uncommon. 
Opposite to the albino is the “me- 
lanic” or black type. While not so 
common as the albino, melanic speci¬ 
mens have been found in many species 
of animals. The best known is the 
black sheep. It is of exactly the same 
breeding as the remainder of the flock, 
and its offspring is usually white. It 
is an unaccountable melanic variation. 
The black squirrel is another. It gen¬ 
erally belongs to the grey species. Black 
and &ray young have been found in the 
same nest. The parent squirrels may 
both be of either color. A collector in 
Ohio secured a pair of black chipmunks. 
Black robins and turtle doves have been 
taken. Black foxes, black wolves and 
black leopards are well known, and they 
mate readily with individuals of the 
normal color. Black chicks sometimes 
appear in broods of well-bred Plymouth 
Rocks, and melanism may account for 
the origin of our black breeds of cattle. 
May it not also possibly have had some¬ 
thing to do with the origin of the Ne¬ 
gro race of men? It is supposed that 
one of the sons of Noah was black, 
while the others were not. 
One other variation of color of this 
sort has been noted, and that is the 
“erythrismal” or red type. Many a 
wood-wise observer has noted that there 
are two types of the little screech owl, 
one grayish and the other red. The 
variation has no relation to age or sex. 
Young of both colors have been found 
in the same family, and the parent birds 
ma- both be grayish or both red. An 
occasional red specimen has been ob¬ 
served in other species of animal life. 
Among our domestic swine there are 
white, black and red breeds, but the 
wild hogs, from which all have de¬ 
scended, are neither white, black nor 
red. The same may be said of our do¬ 
mestic fowls, excepting that the wild 
birds from which it is believed they 
have all originated are somewhat red¬ 
dish. Red pigeons bred from blue stock 
are not uncommon. 
Having the normal colors and admit¬ 
ting the abnormal variations just de¬ 
scribed, all known colors in animal life 
may be accounted for. A white individ¬ 
ual crossed with one of any other color 
may produce spotted, gray or roan off¬ 
spring. The blue beef cattle so popu¬ 
lar in the London markets are from 
black Angus cows mated with white 
Durham sires. Among wild animals 
sexual selections has some bearing upon 
the question of color. In mammals the 
strongest male usually gets the first 
choice of the females, and he is attract¬ 
ed by color as well as by form and size. 
When birds are mating, the males may 
be seen displaying their plumage to at¬ 
tract the females. As there are always 
more males than females among birds, 
the latter select the most gorgeous suit¬ 
ors, and thus beauty of color is perpet¬ 
uated. J. M. KECK. 
Ohio. __ 
Asthma and Eczema. 
J. E. B., Meriden, Conn .—Would you tell 
me of some home remedy that will cure 
asthma? 
G. E., Portland, Ore .—I have eczema, 
and have tried a good many doctors’ reme¬ 
dies, and have received no relief. Would 
you give a remedy? 
Ans.—A competent physician does 
not treat names, and as the writer would 
not like to be classed with incompetents, 
he must decline to prescribe by mail for 
“eczema” and “asthma.” Eczema, or in¬ 
flammation of the skin, has a variety of 
forms, and a number of causes; no one, 
therefore, who does not make a sufficient 
study of an individual case to deter¬ 
mine its nature and cause can intelli¬ 
gently prescribe for its cure. The same 
statement is true of asthma, which, 
while sometimes a disease or affection 
of the nerve centres controlling the res¬ 
piratory apparatus, is again only a 
symptom of some underlying trouble 
with the heart or kidneys. Chronic cases 
of both these diseases are often difficult 
or impossible of cure, and the sufferer 
tries one thing and another in the hope 
of finding permanent relief. He is apt, 
too, to join that great army upon which 
quacks depend for a livelihood; which 
livelihood they will always gain so long 
as the popular belief persists that medi¬ 
cine, instead of being a rational science, 
is a mysterious art concerning which 
certain persons are endowed with su¬ 
pernatural insight. M. d. 
Muskrats Breathing Under Water. 
I notice on page 2 what is said about 
muskrats breathing under the water. Here 
is the way I have noticed them do when 
swimming under the water. I saw one 
swimming under the ice; he would swim 
about 30 feet, and lie would hunt a place 
where there was an air bubble and would 
let out the air in his lungs and breathe 
it in, so it gained enough oxygen and go 
on until he swam up to where there was 
a hole in the ice, which I had made and 
he got stuck in my trap. They do not, as 
many suppose, do without breathing under 
the ice. d. m. 
Earn Money, Boys! 
There’s a nice chance to pick up some 
money among the neighbors with a 
Rumely Watts Corn Shelter No. 2 
AND A 
Rumely Olds Engine 4 K-H.P. 
You can do your own shelling at 
home — save half the cost of contract 
shelling and do it when it should be done. 
Then when work is slack—work for the 
neighbors. 
The engine comes skid mounted or portable so 
you can take it anywhere. This sheller will be a 
money maker for you. Working with a Rumely- 
Olds Engine A’A -h.p., it will handle from 100 
to 150 bushels an hour. 
Send for Sheller Data¬ 
book A r o. 351; Engine Data¬ 
book No. 344. 
RUMELY PRODUCTS CO. 
(Incorporated) 
Power-Farming Machinery 
LA PORTE, IND. 546 
February 8 t 
Is Your Cream Separator 
Guaranteed Not to Rust? 
{ Every dairy utensil made of tin wears and rusts. This Nt 
is the reason why a different metal —Nickel Silver— 
is used in the skimming sections of the 1913 model 
United States Cream Separator 
V- . — 
Nickel Silver Skimming Section* in United States Cream Separators are 
Positively Guaranteed Not to Rust 
Furthermore, U. S. nickel silver sections are easier to 
clean than tinned steel discs or other devices, because milk 
and dirt stick to them less tightly than to tin or steel. 
Still another advantage of U. S. nickel silver sections 
is that they will not crack as tinned steel discs frequently 
do, and are, therefore, much more durable. 
Back of all the exclusive time, labor and expense saving 
qualities of a U. S. Separator you have the separator celebrated 
the country over for its close skimming and holder of the 
World’s Record in 50 consecutive runs extending over a 
period of 30 days with milk from 10 breeds of cows. 
Our catalogue fully describes these and many other important features. 
Write for it and ask your U. S. dealer for a free demonstration at your farm, j 
Price as low as $2S east of the Mountain States. 
VERMONT FARM 
Bellows Falls, Vt. 
Distributing Warehouses 
in Kycry Dairy Section 
MACHINE CO. 
Chicago, Illinois 
10 ~ m 
.MiLi;, 
rl 
When It's 
BREWERS’ 
DRIED 
CROWN DRIED GRAINS 
It’s All Any Feed Ought to Be 
As a milk-producer Crown Grains stand alone. For this 
pure, tested product gives the cow the milk-making ele¬ 
ments she needs, in the form easiest digested. Try it on 
the poorest milker you own—and you’ll open your eyes. 
Look for Croivn Brand on bag. 
Write, naming your feed-dealer 
for CROWN Grains circular. b 
MILWAUKEE GRAINS & FEED CO. 
452 Third Street Milwaukee, Wis. 
The Handiest Hay Tool 
To be clean, sweet and nutri- plements. There is one machine 
tious, hay should be handled that will go far to make Your 
promptly and with the proper im- hay crop more valuable. It is the 
JOHNSTON 
Combined Side Delivery Rake and Tedder 
Angle steel frame. One lever operates both adjustments. Teeth adjustible and 
flexible—no carrying. When tedding, it thoroughly stirs and makes hay cure rap¬ 
idly. Suitable for heavy crops of beans. Two sizes. Johnston quality throughout. 
“Certainly! Buy a Johnston” 
Send Today for the John¬ 
ston 1913 Catalog —Just 
out. Full of valuable im¬ 
plement information. Free. 
Johnston Harvester Co. 
Box 100-E Batavia, N.Y. 
Original 
and Only 
Low-down 
Spreader. 
mSli. 
tMsr 
New Idea M 
Pulverizes. 
Never Clogs. 
3-row Spread. 
Solid Bottom. 
S pMBkSprcads all 
Manures. 
Not a mere xinloader —does not dump in piles. The only spreader with double 
beaters and revolving distributing paddles, which cut the manure into shreds and 
spread it evenly over three full rows—5 to 7 feet. No choking. No bunching. Low- 
down. Easy to load. Tracks with standard wagon. Easy haul for double team. Solid 
bottom which never warps, breaks or wears out. No cog or bevel gears. Only perfect 
endless conveyor—cannot slip. All power direct from rear axle. Only two levers to operate. 
Strong metal wheels. Absolutely necessary for every grain and fruit farmer. 
New Idea Spreader Co., 119 sycamore st.,Coidwater 
