, 1875-03-13
SPARKS OF SCIENCE,


In 4 communication To the E1gin Courier Hjr
A. 4, Gordon Cumming writes: 'In cutting
The Inverness 4 Perth Railway through The
Lochnayandah Park on Altyro, we have un.
tremendously trospasacd on tho privacy and
retiremen. Of 4 numerous colony Of ancient
toads. Tho cutting la here from ~ 10 25 feet
lrep tbs lower part being through from 10 to 10
fcol Of froeatono aud red conplomeraso. The
Interesting old reaidentess nro found in Tho rod
froestono about IL to 90 feet below the surface.
wcro lhey certainly muAt have seen Yevcral
n!neteen-voata' leases out on tho land above
them. Thoy nre Bometimea turned out by the
heavy hsndpick Or the great iron c1orlar hui
b1aat OF powder, OF which yaat nmount la
hero expended acerna 10 causa the greatest m
get In the establishment, AZ shot Ia somet,poa
tlIe means OF okpGsIn9 as masly aa dozen Of
ss seaEy Sl ssr srs repo,. sGe 5 'ns . tho
giving few ~inka a: sha new iisht
TINS suddcnly let In upon tt,cm, md
taking several EaErs Of ihe nnwoniod air.
tbcy le!snrely and deliberately proceed to boz,
conrso, towards tho lower fields. l1.re scnn
them 10 numbers, md some of tl4c men hnye
counted forty at oucc."
THIS exlract IL copied witlnut comment In .
respectable scientific aerla. iEalc Hour Ir,rea.
tons in Popular scenen, .ud We must conclnde
That It Ia properly certified.
Tho tIrWntn Chronicle contained. 4 fow
mouths ago, detailed account o; she discovery
Of living frog IN the heart cf !sreo sycamore
tree. ncctlo1 Of tt'o tree WIS INTENDED for
butchers block, and. on being a.wed In two, a
flsanra was dIecovered IN the centre which rpoes-
urcd 6 ineh.a In length by q of an incl in Width.
In tbin narrow cracis green frog MIA jp1tnutc,j.
i ms poke1 out with ahtick, and foIi apparently
lifeleaa on the surface Of tho bloca. II 4 fcw
minutes !. bogan to bresthe. the pulr..ions OF
the blotu could bo plainly seen under the
throat. md the creature SLOWLY revival.
Tho back Of the frog waa n bright green
and tho under portion Of The body pale blue.
It was about inchrs In length, anl VIVA pro-
date OF tho account 1t was ircly, indicating It's
condition during tho night by slnd,y croaks
Of pertec,ly n1tufal mn. healthy character.
Casea 'tEe th. foregoing have lann frequently
noted, bnt. wo hoteve, mover got have come nm
der tho Immediate dissertation Of nntura!iAt.
Dr.. auckland made the matter ono OF considers-
hlo experiment. tho rchnlts Of which arc narrated
In afr. F. Dnchland's .'Cnrioatios Of Natural
History" A Dr.. Duckiand obaerscs: .Tllat
toads. frogs md nBHts occssionatlF ipsno from
sinking wells. and even taken from coa1.stratA
At tho bottom OF 4 mine, Ia trne enough, but
the evidence Ia mover perfect to show that thoeo
amEhibfana wero entirely inclosed III eolil
tho reptile is discovered BY tho brcalint:
Of tho mass IN which 1t Wan contained, aud
t!on It is too lata to ascertain. without carefully
ropfacing every fragment land in no cana that
have Gecn reported has tlliA over been dono),
whether or mt tlIcro wa. any hoh or creyice bv
which tho animal may hive entered TIN cavity
from which It was extrac ed. Without previous
examination 1t 10 almost impossible 10 provo that
there was no Buch communication"
To test tl,s question Of the longevity Of tho
toad In confinement, DR.. Duchland had = sarics
OF circular celfs or cavities cut In block nt
coarsc ootitio limestone, and atr-tight covers OF
glass AafuAtal to ttlcm. Similar cellB wore also
prepared In : block OF siliciouR sandstone.
Twonty-tour live toala wora than imuured In
these calls. one In EACH tho covo:a wera fastened
upon them. and the blocks Of stone woss buried
focs in tho ground. At the end Of twelve
months tbs stones wore disintcrred, tho
celIo opened, and tho, soads inspected.
Al Al those IL Tho san.istono re,e de.d.
coils Of which wero largo, wera still living
Some had decreased In weight, wliln others had
actually added TO their asoildnpo.s, AZ few Of
tho ElAa8 plates wero fonrd crushed, 1t vas
found tlieir way into TIM cells and supplied thor
in1natcH with modicum OF food. At the end Of
q second twe1vemonth the toata wero all lead.
So long ss they remained living. .they sacmot],
on examination, to DO always nnsfo aud never
In torpid condition.
The best nntuTalls.s nze Of the opinion tina.
tonds aud frogs arc capable Of great longevity
and Of enduring Imprisonment for an cxtraor-
dinasv reriod when not deprived Of air. and
also that tho skin has tho canactty to perform,
In soma undetermined way, tho function Of tho
lungs. yet no experiments hitbortn tried hv Bci-
entito mon hive shown TINT the creatures can
exist without mir and moisture for any number
OF Ve2rs. Hwellio suggested tho following poe-
ssble explanation of tie manner In which frogs
which thoY havo teen found: sin tho rocka
there nre naauy cninl;s. as we'll IA aaaurcs,
both horizontal and perpendicular. 4ud In old
treea nothing H. mora frequent than holos and
vscntttes OF various Dimensions. Through these
tsMtroh and rsculties tho eggs Of toAda nav At-
cidcnta!'y be conveyed by water. tl,c penetration
Of which fav HnbstnnccA arc capable OF resisting,
After The est;a aro latchcd. tha animals n1ar 10.
cetvs mossuro mud snail PORTIONS Of air through
sr'ysS s Gt .aHks ss tho elannss Of assd
for I csnnot satisty myss!t." Nor hns tho in.
geniona suggestion aatished anybody else.
French BctontfAt recentlv itnhnddad throo
frogs In doop clay. and buried them four feet TN.
der ground. At tho end Of resen months only
tnont1ls tho 'nAt ono roriahca. These c1psri-
1n0utB do not absolurelr prove that frogs may
not survive nainr yearH without food but they
Aiow that such instances no rather improbable,
Witucaaos.
THE KANGAROO.
Tho Dutch naturalist Lo Nrnn introduced tho
Kangaroo TO the knowlodGe Of Europeans, In
I'LL, whan on risit 10 tho Govarnor-Qe
of Batavia, ho saw lu tho gardens Of biz host
several specimens Of small kangaroo, called
Filsuder. Thta In dsscHbcd aud figured IN Lis
"yoyaGe BY Way OF Russia into Porsia and to
lie Ea4t Iudlea," aud thus gAve the 1sst pub
ahod account Of akaugaroo. In 1729, r. Taien-
In recorded the tact that tho animsl waa m in
labitant OF tho Aru group, and In 177S II received