be seen in the shape of various tropical vines and creepers; and her skill as a lace-maker may be seen in the case of the lace-tree of the West Indies.—Harper's Weekly.
(2162)
Nature's Forgiveness—See Restoration in Nature. NATURE'S PROTECTION Fish are, we are told, very light sleepers, and frequently assume singular positions; but the most remarkable fact concerning them is the change of color many of them undergo while asleep. Usually their spots and stripes become darker and more distinct when they fall asleep. Occasionally the pattern of their coloration is entirely changed. The ordinary porgy, for instance, presents in the day-*time beautiful iridescent hues playing over its silvery sides, but at night, on falling asleep, it takes on a dull bronze tint, and six conspicuous black bands make their appearance on its sides. If it is suddenly awakened by the turning up of lights in the aquarium it immediately resumes the silvery color that it shows by daylight. These changes have been ascribed to the principle of "protective coloration," and it has been pointed out that the appearance of black bands and the deepening of the spots serve to conceal the fish from their enemies when lying amid eel-grass and seaweeds.—Harper's Weekly.
(2163)
NATURE'S RECUPERATIVE POWERS
A unique opportunity to study Nature's
processes in restoring the vegetation of a land
swept clean by a great disaster was afforded
after the eruption of a volcano on the little
island of Krakatoa in 1883. All living organisms
were destroyed. In 1886 a number of
plants had already established themselves on
the devastated island, those in the interior
being remarkably different from those on the
coast, ferns especially preponderating. In
1897 further progress had been made, and
in 1906 the forest trees had advanced so
far as to make it evident that within a short
time the island will again be densely forested.
It is believed that the first plants to establish
themselves on the blasted soil—such as ferns,
algae, mosses, compositæ, and grasses—were
borne thither by the winds, and that ocean
currents were probably agents in the importation
of seeds and fruit.—San Francisco
Bulletin.
(2164)
Nature's Renewing Qualities—See Conversion.
Nature-teaching to Children—See Religious Education.
Nature Witnessing to God—See God Revealed
in Nature.
NATURE, WONDERS OF
The oak-galls are formed only where a
gall-insect has pricked a live leaf or stem
or twig with her sharp, sting-like little egg-layer,
and has left an egg in the plant tissue.
Nor does the gall begin to form even yet.
It begins only after the young gall-insect is
hatched from the egg, or at least begins to
develop inside the egg. Then the gall grows
rapidly. The tree sends an extra supply of
sap to this spot, and the plant-cells multiply,
and the house begins to form around the
little white grub. Now this house or gall
not only encloses and protects the insect, but
it provides it with food in the form of plant-sap
and a special mass or layer of soft,
nutritious plant-tissue lying right around the
grub. So the gall-insect not only lives in
the house, but eats it!—Vernon L. Kellogg,
"Insect Stories."
(2165)
See Remains.
NATURE WORSHIP
Father Brebeuf, writing about the Hurons
in 1636, tells of a certain rock which they
passed on their way to Quebec, and to which
they always offered tobacco, placing it in the
cleft of the rock and addressing the demon
who lived there with prayer for protection
and success. When the Indian in crossing
a lake finds himself in serious danger, he
prays to the spirit of the lake, throwing an
offering, perhaps a dog, into the water. When
the sound of the thundering frightens him,
he prays to the thunder-being for protection.
When he needs rain, he directs his rites to
the god of rain and thunder. Air and earth
and water are alive with spirits, any one of
which may be prayed to; but, as a matter
of fact, certain ones are singled out for
worship. Add to these the many animal
deities which are invoked even more frequently
than those of the elements in the
sacred formulas of the Cherokees.
(2166)
See Plant Worship.
