The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1868-10-04
WI IT Y ? It7TTIF -FfNs ' - VI : =
scIENTIFIcfAHD MEcHAHlCA1.

f'.N-N'lf 1E1'15' - - ,Ff'tN'i '-''
cookfso ny ELEcrRic1rYIA3 ? curious
experiment lately sookiplaee at st. Denis,
Ct the residence of n. Gisqnet, formerly
Prefect Of Police at the commencement OF
the reign of Louis Philippe, aud now oil
rehner. By.means Of an apparatus invented
~ NJ. Bullot, aud in which electricity ia
the only agent, sixspounds of beef were
perfectly cooked in five minutes and ten
EEEEcrs OF Music ON ANrMALs.---A cap
tain OF the regiment of Navarro, being
confined in prison for having spoken too
freely OF Louvois, the French minister,
begged leave of the governor to send for
his lute to soften his confinement After
ished to see the nice !. .oone out If their
holes, and the spiders descend from their
webs, and form q circle around him, as IL
to listen to him with the more attention.
He was at first so struck with the sight
that he dropped HIS lutte, when tile, whole
OF his strange auditory instantly retired
instrument, spiders and mice again crept
forth and listened; and every day they
increased in numbers, till at last there
would be upward of a hundred of these
musical amateurs collected together. AS
the presence of such gentry was not at all
officer procured from one of the iailers a
cat: which he shut up in q cage when lie
had no ohjectionAt TO see company, and set
loose when he preferred to be alone thus
converting into pleasant sort Of comedy
tho passion of his mute associates for
music. long doubted the truth of this
story" says Sir John Hawkins; "but it
was confirmed to me by Mr.. P, attend
ant of the Duchess Of ", a man of
merit and prObity, who played upon several
instruments with the utmost excellence
He told me that being at -, he went up
into the chamber to refresh himself till
supper time he had not played a quarter
of an hour when he saw severSa spiders
descend from the ceiling, which canie and
ranged themselves about the table to hear
him play, at which he was greatly sur
prised; but this did not interrupt him,
being willing to see the end Of so singular
an occurrence. They remained on the table
till somebody. came to tell him supper was
ready; when, having ceased to play, he
told me these insects mounted to their
webs, to which he would suffer no injury
to be done. 1t was diversion with which
he often entertained himself out of curios-
ity." still more incontestable proof of
the power of music over animals is fur
nished by gentleman in the East India
Company's service, who, in letter from
Patna. near Bengal, dated in 1766, speak
ing of the travelling Fakirs who wandered
about the country, says: "One of them
called few days ago at my house, having
u 0Cdu0itui AuESc Sudho ia u OdSkcG, WHICH
he made to rise up and dance to the tune
of q pipe which he played. My out
houses and farmyard being much infested
with snakes, which destroyed my poultry
and even my cattle, one of my servants
asked the man if he could pipe the snakes
out of their holes and catch them He
| answered in the affirmative and being
conducted to place where snake had
been seen, he began to play on his pipe
In a short time the snake came dancing to
him and was caught. He then tried again,
and had not continued five minutes when
an immense Coune Capelie, the most ven
omons kind of serpent, popped his head
out of hole in the room. When the man
saw it, he approached nearer and piped
more vehemently, until the snake was
more than half out, and ready to dart up at
him. He then piped with the one hand
only, and advanced the other under, the
snake, as it was raising itself to make a
spring. When the snake sprung ut him, he
dexterously seized it by the tall, and held
it fast until my servant dispatched it. In
the space of an hour, the Fakir caught five
very yenomous snakes close about my
house.n q Cor tef ~.
AGRICULTURAL