Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-03-24
THE GREAT SCOTTISH comb FACTORY.

world Is IN Aberdeen, ScotlanQ IL is tnat
of Messrs. Stewart, Rowell s. Co. There
are SO furnaces for preparing horns and
tortoise-sheIl for the combs, and no less
than 100 iron screw presses are continual
ly going, in stamping them. Steam pow
er is employed to cut the combs, and an
engine Of fifty horsepower is barely sufii-
cient to do the work. The coarse combs
are stamped or cut out-two being cut in
one piece at time, by machine invent
ed in England in 1928. The fine dressing
combs and all small.tooth combs, ARE cut by
fine circular saws, some so fine as to cut
40 teeth in the space of one inch, and they
revolve 5000 times in minute. There
are 1928 varieties of combs made, and the
aggregate number produced, of all these
different sorts of combs, average upwards
of 1900 gross weekly. or about 5000, 900
annually; a Quantity that, if laid together
lengthwise, would extend about 700 miles.
The annual consumption of ox-horns is a.
bout 730, 900; the annual consumption OF
hoofs amounts to 1000, 900; the consump-
ton of tortoise-shell and bufalo-horn, al
though not so targets correspondingly val
liable; even the waste, composed Of horn
shavings and parings of hoof, which from
its nitregenized composition, becomes a
valuable material in the manufacture of
prussiate of potash, amounts to $50 tons in
the year; the broken combs in the various
stages of manufacture average 80 or 60
gross in week the very paper for pack
ing costs $4,000 year. A hoof under
goes eleven distinct operations before it be-
comes finished comb. In this great comb
factory, there are 456 men and boys en-
ployed, and 1854 women-ln all $40 hands.
This company commenced business twenty
years ago, on very small scale, being
much smaller than the smallest works in
England. By that determined energy per
severence, and shrewdness which is char
acteristic Of that people, they have shot a.
head of all competitors IN Britain. There
is temperance society and library con-
nected with the works.
MICE AND REPTILEs.-1n an English
work, called 'The Life of Soldier" We
find the following account of battles between
mice, scorpions, and centipedes, in Barba-
does. In clearing the ground for the camp,
We disturbed variety of noxious reptiles,
such as whipsnakes of an extraordinary
length, but not thicker than goose-quill;
centipedes of large size, whose backs
were plated like Holsters tail and scor-
pions. Having heard that mice were nat
ural enemies to the two latter, | procured
few, that might be a witness of their COM
bats. The arena was the space circum-
scribed by glass bell and upon letting
mouse and scorpion loose in it,a grand dis
play of maneuvering ensued-the mouse
flying to bite off his opponents tail, which
terminates in sting, and the scorpion
watching for an opportunity to strike him
with it. Should the former succeed in his
first object The latter falls an easy prey;
but if stung, the mouse swells up, and dies
in convulsions. However, the mouse is
generally the victor. Equal generalship is
required in the engagement with the cent?.
pede, which defends itself with two small
nippers, placed at either side Its mouth,
near the poison bags. One of our men
found a large tarentula on his shoulder one
morning when he awoke, and it suffered it.
self to be removed without doing him any
injury. He brought it to me, as an anna
ture and accordingly | placed it under the
bell with one of my hardest bitten MICE
1t Immediately reared itself on its hinder
part, and extending its long arms, remain
ed motionless in this posture. while the
mouse ran round the bell, evidently unwil.
ling to face its new antagonist. This con-
tinued short time: and then, as if under
the influence of an iuesIstable fascination,
the mouse jumped suddenly into the arms
of the tarantula, which quickly seized him
with two nippers, resembling the claws of
cat and situated at either side of the
head, and with such deadly effect, that the
little quadruped inst antly swelled up and
burst. / next let loose two or three mice
at time on the tarantula, but they all
shared the same fate.
How New ZEALANDER PROVIDES FOR
HIS WIvEs.-A New Zealand chief having
been converted by the powerful arguments
OF missionary, requested, after the meet
ing was over, to be admitted to the Chris
tian church. After short conversation,
the missionary discovered seriouc ohcta- |