Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-01-24

A'S'l CduuOt penetrate, anu al luospueEe
variously composed, but differing from that
which we breathe; such are the spotted
ascaris which lives beneath the skin of
the th-worm, the Leucoptera, ola bright
silvery color, in the interior Of the shore
Naiad, and Pentastoma which inhabits
the large pulmonary cells Of the rattlesnake
Of the tropics. There are animalcuIe in
the blood Of frogs and Of salmon; and even,
according to Nordmann, in the fluids of,he
eyes OF fishes, and in the gills Of the bleak"
Vol. ii. PIP. 81.
1t is impossible to peruse this interest
ing extrac: without noticing its connexion
with the remarkable discovery recently
made by Dr.. Britain, that in the dischar-
ges from cholera patients there are found
minute cellular bodies, having the aspect
and character of fungi; that the same bod
les exist in the air and water Of infected
districts; and tha, they are never found in
persons or places where the pestilence
does not prevail. These bodies vary from
the five hundredth to the ten thousand;h
of an inch in diameter; the smallest oc
curing in the air, the larger in the vomit,
and the largest in the dejections of the pa
tient. Admitting what yet requires a
more extensive induction to prove it, that
these bodies are always found in cholera
localities and never elsewhere, it still re-
mains to be proved that they are the cause
Of cholera. Various facts, however, have
been long known, which render such an
opinion highly probable. r.
n
The colossal Dragon tree at Oratava, in
Teneritfe, is 79 feet round al its root, and
4S as measured by Humboldt farther up.
Mass is reported 10 have been said at a
small altar erected in it, hollow trunk, in
the 18th century. Trees, 80 feet in di-
ameter, have been observed al the mouth
ofthe Senegal river; and Golberry found
in the valley of the two Gaguacks, trunks
which were 32 English feet in diameter
near the roots, with height Of only "a
feet. Adanson and Pero,tet assign an age
from $3.50 to 5000 years to the Adansonia
which they measured, but calculations
made from the number of annual rings,
give shorter periods. According to De-
canaolle, the yew Torus baecata) of Bra
horne, in Kent, is 5000 years old; the
Scotch yew Of Fortingal, from 2500 to
26OO years those Of Crowhurst, in Sur
rey, l450 years old, and those of Ripon.
in Yorkshire, 1900. Endlicken observes,
that yew tree inthe churchyard of Gras-
ford, in North Wales, which is SO fee. in
circuit below the branches, is l40O years
old, and that another in Derbyshire, has
the age Of 2096 years. In Li,huania, lime
trees have been cut down with Sl5 annu-
al rings, and 81 feet in circuit, and Hum
ste zone, .ome species Of Eucalyptus at
tain the enormous hcigsW of 245 feet. The
largest oak tree in Europe is near Saintes,
in Lower Charante. 1t is "a feet high.
29a in circuit near the ground, and %
feet FIVE higher up. SIN the dead part Of
the trunk, a little chamber has been arrang-
ed, from 10 feet 8 inches TO l2 feet 8 in
ches wide, and 9 feet 8 inches high, with
semicircular bench cut ont Of the fresh
wood. A window gives light to the inte-
rior, so that the sides Of the chamber,
which is closed with door, are clothed
with ferns and lichens, giving it a pleas
ing appearance. Judging by the size Of
small piece of wood which has been cut
out above the door and in which the marks
of 200 annnlar rings have been counted,
the oak OF Saintes would be between 1900
and 2000 years DID,"
Ii has been found from ancient and trust
| worthy documents Of the llth century,
that the root Of the wild rose tree at the
| crypt Of the cathedral of Hildeshiem, is
1000 years old, and its stem 800. After
the cathedral had been burnt down, Bish-
op Hezilo inclosed the roots of this rose
tree in vault which still exists, and he
trained the branches Of il Upon the walls
of the crypt built above the vault and re-
consecraled in 1861. The stem which is
now living, is 26 l-2 feet high, and 2 in
ches thick. The most remarkable exam
pie Of vegetable development is exhibited
in the Fuct,s gigantea, submarine plant,
which attains length of from 400 TO 43O
feet, surprising the loitiest conifera, such
as the Sequoia gigantea, and the Taxodium
sempervirens.
The Ericea or Hea;hs appear 10 be lin
tied 10 only one side of our planet, cover
ing large tracts from the plains Of Germa-
ny, France, and Britain, to the extremity
of Norway. They adorn Italy, and are
lnxuriant on the declivity Of the Peak OF
Tenerilie bu, the most varied assemblage
of species occurs in the south Of Africa.
They are entirely wanting in Australia,
and Of the 300 known species, only oae
has been discovered across the whole Of
America, from Pennsylvania and La5ra-
dor 10 Noo'ka and Alashka.
The Cactus form is almost wholly A.
merican, and Humboldt observes, that
'',here is hardly anything in vegetable
physiognomy which makes SO singular and
ineflaceable an impression on newly ar
rived person as the sight Of an arid plain
thickly covered like those of Cremona,
New Barcelona, with columnar and can
delabra-like elevated cactus STEMS" The
forms of the cactus are sometimes spheri-
cal, sometimes pointed, and sometimes they
are shaped like tall polygonaI columns.
resembling the pipes Of an organ. In the
arid plains of South America, the melon
cactus supplies refreshing juice to the
animal tribes, though the plant is half bur-
led in the sand, and encased with prick
Ice The colnmnar cactus carries its