Evening Star Newspaper, June 22, 1932, Page 6

A—6 BEHAVIGR OF SHREW AND BAT OBSERVED Former’s Language Consists ‘ of Three Sounds, and It -~Is Playful at Times. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. ! Detatled cbservations of the behavior of two of the most secretive American animals—the shrew and the bat—have Just been repotted to the American So- clety of Mammalogists here. ‘The reporis are considered of special Interest from the standpoint of animal psychology, since both these families of mammals live in a quite different sen- sory world from that of the larger warm-blooded animals and man. The behavior of shrews especially has been little investigated because the animals are 0 small and secretive that they | seldom arc ceen in the wild state, and they have a disconcerting habit of dying for no known reascn within a few hours after they arc trapped. By taking special precautions, how- ever, Dr. Philip M. Blossom of the Uni- versity of Michican was able to keep one alive in captivity for more than two months and another for 13 days. Have Three Types of Sounds. The “language” of the shrew, Dr. Blossom found, consicts of three dis- tinet types of When angry they emit a rapid series of staccato squeaks. When eating or in search of | food they utter succession of faint, twittering notes, and produced | so_rapidiy give the voice a quality inter ate betwoen a purr and | soft tw When the animal is | g of the teeth fre- | quently is heard | He found a comparalive insensitivity | to loud such as the blast of an practically in. ‘The animal has a good eyesight for ol jects close at hand, but apparently its range of vision is shoft, for When move- ments aré made a few feet away it shows no reacticn. The sense of smell, he concludes, also must be restricted within a short range. ' Life is a serious matter to the shrew, who must keep almost continually on the lookout for food. Yet, Dr. Blossom found, there are times when it actually plays. The male was once found push- ing the lid of the nest box up and down with its nose, thus producing a rattle against the tin box below. An- other form of playfulness was shown in the killing of an insect. When a small bug was placed in the cage the little animal at once attacked it and a terrific struggle was simulated, in which the insect repeatedly was attacked and thrown in the air. The shrew evidently was “playing” that the helpless insect really was a dangerous adversary, and only after a hard make-believe fight was it finally killed and eaten. The animals often were seen dozing ing the day. While resting, Blossom reports, the head is seen to lower little by little until the creature apparently becomes conscious that it is drowsing. ‘Then the head is raised with a quick jerk. After an inspection to see that no danger is about, the doeing is re- sumed, and this is repeated over and over again until finaliy the animal, ap- }agggnfly rested, continues its search for Meat Stored for Future. The shrew, Blossom found, “stcres meat” for the future. “Earthworms were most generally killed at once when placed in the cage” he reports. *They were then distributed in advan- tageous position, usually on or in damp moss, and were returned to later when the animal was in need of food. They may be left whole or cut into small pieces. Undoubtedly they are preserved and kept fresh by the moisture within the vegetation.” Perhaps the most remarkable finding was that the shrew ate an average of more than three times its own weight every 24 hours, mostly meat. The shrew has an average weight of 3.6 grams. It ate an average of 11.7 grams. A large number of earth THE NEW GEORGIC ENGLAND'S LARGEST CABIN LINER oo e E m o e [EBAEES: OUR ANSWER TO YOUR REQUEST Here she is! 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Rates One Way Cabin $134.00 Tourist 9450 167.00 Third 69.50 123.00 Apply toyour local agent, the travel authority in your community, or to WHITE STAR LINE enternational Mercantile Marine Company Company’s Office, 1419 G St. N.W. l ational 1645 Round Trip $254.60 Mather Pla 8 an appreciation of the work of the late Stephen Tyng Mather, creator cf the National Park ervice, and its first head, plagques commending the memory of Mather to all visitors to 11 national and two State parks will be were consumed, and the shrews seemed to enjoy salamanders, meacow mice, grasshoppers, beetles, spiders, centi- pedes, hamburger steak and liver. They would not eat frogs, slugs, carrots or apples. Y e second report is concerning the behavior of a family of red bats, which Charles E. Johnson of the Roosevelt ‘Wild Life Station was able to keep in captivity for five days. Al! these noc- turnal animals die quickly when cap- tured. The mother bat, the observer found, is a loving parent, licking the faces of her young and acting toward them much as does a cat toward her kittens. The mother bat is able to fly with her offspring on her back until they collectively approach her own weight, when her “wings” mno longer will hold up the burden. There ap- ared to be quick muts recognition ggtwcan the mother and her own off- spring. Continued captivity, however, made the mother extremely irritable, so that she snapped savagely at the little ones, chewed off one of her own wings, and on attempting to fly dropped to the floor and died. The accounts of these observations are published in the current issue of the society’s official journal. yet they satisfy. ques- Ready MEMORIALS TO HONOR PARKS PIONEER G STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, dédicated at those parks on July 4, Mather's birthday. Members of the National Comhittee | will make the presentation addresses on | behalf of the Appreciation, and the | plaques will be accepted by officers of | the National Park Service. ‘The plaques, 29'; inches by 35 inches, of deep bronze workmanship, | to survive all weather conditions, were | executed from the design of Bryant| Baker, New York sculptor, and have | been furnished by the Stephen T. Mather Appreciation, an organization | formed here before Mr. Mather's death | to tribute to the work of the| ather” of the National Park Service. Each of the plaques weighs 100 pounds. | A replica of the plaque, which carries | a national park scene and the likeness of Mather, has been placed outside the | office in the Interior Department occu- | pied by Mather during his service with | the Government. On the plaque is the following inscription: “He laid the foundation of the Na- | tional Park Service, defining and tablishing the policies under which its | | areas shall be developed and conserved, unimpaired, for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done.” | Parks at which the July 4 ceremonies will be held are as follows: Grand Canyon National Park, Aris.; ||| Yosemite National Park, Calif.; Zion | National Park. Utah; Yellowstone Ni tional Park, Wyo.; Mount Rainier Na- ‘ucnal Park, Wash.; Crater Lake Na- | tional Park, Oreg.; Rocky Mountain | ! National Park, Colo.; Mesa Verde Na- tional Monument, Ariz, and N. Mex.; National Park, Calif.; Petrified Forest National Monument, Ariz, and Case Grande National Monument, Ariz. In addition, plaques will be unvefled at Dunes State Park in Indiana, and the New York-New Jersey Palisades Interstate Park. Later it 15 planned to unveil plaques at Glacler National Park in Montana, at Mather Grove on the Redwood High- way, in Northern California, on the grounds of the University of Californi: at Berkeley, and in six other parks to be selected later. ‘The plaques have been placed in the open, in various places, many of them being mounted on boulders in promi- nent_places, where they may be seen by all who enter the parks. | ‘The Stephen T. Mather Apprecis tion was formed here with John Hays | Hammond as chairman, George White, president of the Metropolitan National Bank, treasurer, and Franklin Adams, counselor of the Pan-American Union, secretary. Members of the Executive Committee are: Former Representative Louis C. Cramton of Michigan, Dr. Gil- bert H. Grbsvenor, president of the National Geographic Society; Dr. Ve non L. Kellogg, secretary of the Nation- al Research Council; Theodore W. Noyes, editor of The Evening Star, and Mrs. Henry A. Strong. chairman of the beard of the Hattie M. Strong Founda- tion. On the National Committee of the appreciation are many men prominent in the business and official life of the Nation. Washington members of the committee, in addition to officers and members of the executive, are: Mrs. Harriet Chalmers Adams, Horace M. Albright, who succeeded Mr. Mather as director of the National Park Servicc: Robert B. Armstrong, Dr. Albert W. Atwood, Ovid M. Butler, Arno B. Cam- merer, H. P. Cammerer, Col. John H. Carroll, Maj. Gen. B. F. Cheatham, Herbert Corey, Frederic A. Delano, A. E. Memaray, Willlam C. Deming, Her- | bert Evison, Harry W. Frantz, Right| Rev_James E. Freeman, Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, 3d: Frederic J. Haskin, Ed- ward C. Kemper, W. B. Lewis, Elwood Mead, Dr. Jchn C. Merriam, Eugene M. Meyer, Adolph C. Miller, Charles| Moore, Harry S. New, Arthur N. Patk,“ ool W BRI DR. CLAUDE S. SEMONES Eyesight Specialist Phone National 0721 = |“KLUTCH” HOLDS |FALSE TEETH TIGHT Klutch forms & comfort cushion; holds the plate so snug it can't rock, drop, “be played with." as well_as you A At all druggists.—Advertisement What’s more they taste better, too. That’s it... milder and better taste. These are the two outstand- ing merits of Chesterfield. Plus...a third important advantage. Chesterfields are as pure as the water you drink . . . as pure as science can make them. Chesterfield Radio Program MON & THUR Bosweu SISTERS TUES. & FRI. ALex GraY WED & SAT, RUTH ETTING INAT SHILKRET and NORMAN BROKENSHIRE @O p. Eastern Daylight m. COLUMBIA NETWORK Ch WabaesbaY, Dr. T. S. Palmer, Johih Barton Payne, Mary obetis Rinehirt, DF. msuml:y Rinehart, Ernest N. Smith, French Strother, Maj. R. Y. Stuart, Mark Sulli- van, Huston pson, Dr. Willlam A. White, Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur,” Mabel Walker Wille- brandt and Robert Sterling Yard. At the time of the organization of the lnfrtchum, several years ago, the Executive Committee asked persons and State organizations throughout the country for suggestions as to the best way the country could show its appre- ciation of the work of Mr. Mather, who dropped his business and immersed him- self in the work of organizing the National Park Service, ently giving freely from his own pocket for par- ticularly needed park devolpments. Thirty-eight major suggestions were received by the committee, any one of which would have been a fitting appre- clation of Mr, Mather in the tm?nlm of the committee. However, it was de- cided that the establishment of the plaques would better answer the needs of the appreciation, and suggested to the various States that they form or- ganizations to bring about their ls]sh“ added trflmt;:.btl: Mather. being done, & n example of gratitude on the of the State being the Mather Memorial Parkway, in the State of Wuhln?on. near Mount Ramier National Park. This is & scenic highway along the crest of the Cascade Mountains, opening to mo- torists a country of A" Dlagheto Mather Wi beunveai along this highway on July 2, . Congress has authorized the erection in the Capital of a suitable memorial to Mather, and has given the National Over 30 _Years of Quality Serviee A Summer Vacation Free —FROM EVERY WORRY AS TO THE SAFETY OF YOUR FUR COAT, WOOLENS, BLANKETS AND RUGS WILL FOLLOW UTILIZATION OF— Merchants Moth-Proof STORAGE Our Prices Are Less Than Usual for Moth-Proof Storage Prompt Collections and Delt Phone Ao togcl1veries Merchants Transfer and Storage Co. JOHN L NEWBOLD, JR. President 920-922 E St—Nat. 6900 Storage—Moving—Packing—Shipping estels il © 1932, Licastr & Myaas Tosacco Cos JunEk 22, Capital Park and Planning Commission to select the memorial, but no er action has been taken on this 8o far and no money for the memorial has been appropriated. oo COUNTER DIVORCE SUIT NAMES CO-RESPONDENT 1932. vorce filed by Mrs. Julia M. Lloyd, 1245 U street southeast, Phileman D. Lloyd, St. Elizabeth’'s Hospital employe, yes- terday denied charges of cruelty and countered with a suit for absolute di- vorce, naming a co-respondent. Lloyd denies ever having beaten his wife, - as. her suit charged, or that he came home intoxicated repeatedly. He charges Mrs. Lloyd became incensed when he insisted that she give up her association with the co-respondent. The husband asked dismissal of Mrs. Lloyd’s suit and that the custody of their child be awarded to him. Attorne; Raymond Neudecker appears on behal of Lioyd. £=\ Answering the suit for a limited di- | GRANT’S OFFICE CHANGES Headquarters Will Be Inspector Under New Program. | | and will go into effect early next month. serving as professor of military science and tactics at George Washington Uni- versity also has taken over the post cf sanitary inspector for Lieut. Col. U. S | Grant, 3d, director of public buildings | and public parks. Under the new pro- gram the medical officer of the 16th Brigade headquarters, at Eighteenth | and C streets, will likewise serve as | sanitary lnfinec! ; Maj. willlam tiring professor of military science at George Washington University. His place as medical aide tn Col. Grant will | _Heretofore the Army medical officer | or. 0. Wetmore is the re-[ be taken by Cipt. August W. Spittler, who is sttachei to the 16th ":a.t SANITARY ‘ARRANGEMENT |:ezdauarters. Maj. Wetmore’s place at George Washington University will be taken by Medical Officer of 16th Brigade |Lieut. Col. Thomas D. Woodson. DOAK TO MAKE ADDRESS It will be the last meeting of the Summer for the organi- zation. Jame: B. Edmunds. former Kiwanis head, is president of the club. e T is_the s Powder is gusranteed to the home free of Jisease-carrying get a can now. 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