Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-08-15
THE GAZETTE.
MONDAY MORNING, AUGUST Is, 1859.

Il ~ L ~ ~ l. Il LIZ
MONDAY MORNING, AUGUST Is, 1859.
ANIMAL LIFE OF THE MAMMOTH CAVE.
Prof. c. w. Wright, of Louisville, speaking
of the Mammoth Cave, says:-
Myriads of bats are found in the Mammoth
Cave, especially during the winter months.
These animals are not III torpid state III
winter, but frequently change their posi-
ton from one avenue of the Cave u announcer.
In these parts of the cave, when there Is no
air in motion, the bats hang IN clusters vi
thousands, suspended by their hinder ex-
tremities. heads downward. The wings of
the bat consist of II memhranous expansion
over the fingers of the animal, which are enor-
ormously developed. The hat moves through
the air like the butterfly, and does not pro-
duce rustling sound with his wings like
that produced by other birds The eyes Of
the bat are much smaller. relatively, than
those of any other nocturnal animal, and are
very little use to him. In fact he regulates
his movements in flying and securing in
sects, by sense of resistance, for if the
sight of one be destroyed, he is enabled To
fly about in room through which wires are
stretched in various directions, without strlk-
ing one of Them and he will secure his food
upon the same principle, as we'll as direct
his course in the cave, which, II short dis
lance from the entrance, Is absolutely des-
titute of every ray of light. The bat secures
insects and feeds himself by means oi the
interfemoral membrane which extends from
the tail to the hinder extremit,eS, ana which
the animal uses as a net to catch ms prey,
the hair on the under surface III which Is
arranged in concentric rays, 50 that when
the tail is bent forward any object on the Ill
terfemoral membrane is rolled To the point
of that organ, and thence into the animal 5
mouth When thrown upon a level surface
the bat cannot rise and fly, but has t" crawl
to anelevated object. from which he thr nws
himself into the air, and is thus enabled To
use his wings.
The Cave Rat is size larger than the
Norway Rat. The hair on the hack resem-
bles that of the grey squirrel; that on the
abdomen and feet is of light color; the
whiskers are long, and the eyes are promi-
nent and resemble those of the rabbit
The jaws are powerful, and set with large
teeth The cave rat has been known to bite
through the cave lamps, which are composed
of tin, in order to get ut the oil. They are
undoubtedly the Florida rat, which over
spread this continent in early times. but
which have been exterminated everywhere
else by the Norway rat, and have taken refuge
in the Mammoth Cave where the latter never
enters. They are guided, in the cave, by the
sense of smell.
Wild animals, such as fixes, wild cats,
cOons, bears, etc., never enter the Mammoth
Cave. nor have their remains ever been found
therein.
When the Mammoth Cave was first dis
covered, hundreds of mummies were found
in it. They were dressed lin the skins OF
wild animals, and. i'll many instances, were
highly ornamented with heads of bone. shells,
feathers, etc. They were in Il better state OF
preservation than the mummies of Egypt,
and, even when exposed to damp atmos-
phere, showed no disposition to decay. The
mummies were preserved mainly by means
of smoke, and the place where they were
subjected to the .antiseptic influence of that
agent is still to be seen. 1t consists of Il
stick, which is suspended between two pro-
jectng rocks, in an alcove, twenty feet above
the floor ofthe main cave. Cross-pieces are
dashed to the pole by strips of bark,
upon which the arms and lower extremlties
were extended. The e1tremities OF the pole
bear the marks of the stone Ratchet, and have
remained SO long in their present position that
they are incrusted with crystals of carbo-
nate of lime. The ceremony of elm balming
could have been witnessed by at least ten
thousand persons, for the avenue, in which
the operation was conducted, is hundred
feet wide and n half mile in length
The same point was evidently used at times
as a place of torture, inasmuch as bone
ashes have-been found there, which were
evidently those of victims to some barbarous
sacrifice.
When the manufacture of saltpetre was
commenced, the mummies were used rs fuel,
and were destroyed in various ways. and a
few were carried away and placed in the
museums, in different parts Of the United
States.