The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-05-26
FACTS FOR THE CURIOUS.

CELERY seed will terminate when
twenty years old.
The little, hard-coated fish called tho
helix espersia has been known to live a
year out Of water without food. ,.
The vultures of Africa will discover q
dead animal as soon as it falls, from
heights viewless to the human eye.
The lions teeth are so strong that he
easily breaks the bones of his prey, and
swallows them with the rest of the body.
TIE mechanic stenographer is the lat
est invention under particular notice in
Paris. 1t beats the best professional
short hand writer's. -.
A TIGER has been known to carry to
his den buffalo weighing twice as
much as himself, throwing the animal
over his shoulder as fox does a goose.
THE most poisonous snakes appear to
possess perfect immunity from the
poison of their own species, and consid-
cradle immunity from that of other kinds. /,
A RECENT calculation of Prof. Gelkie's
puts the species of English mammals at
forty, of reptiles at thirteen. Of land
birds at 1879. OF Towering plants and
L.
WOMEN never appeared upon the stage
among the ancients. Their parts were
represented by men until as late as
1862, when Charles II. first encouraged
their public appearance.
: In birds distinguished for their power
Of fight, the air fills the bones, sur
rounds the viscera, insinuates itself be-
tween the muscles, and buoys up the en-
tire skin, so that the whole body is in
fated like balloon. ->r ~
So FIXED and certain are the dates of
departing and returning with many
species of birds, that, in certain Eastern
countries at the present day, almanacs
are timed and bargains struck upon the
data they supply. a. @5~a
The weight of the largest brain on
record is said to be sixty-seven ounces !;
the smallest-that of a woman-weighed
but two ounces and five grains. Cuvier's
brain has seldom been equaled in
weight; it is noted at CAS- ounces. The
brain Of James Fisk, Jr., was considered
unusually large, it's weight slightly ex-
ceeding fifty four ounces. Yet it was
ten ounces below that of Culver, and
thirteen ounces lighter than the heaviest
known.
WHEN the behring's migrate from
south to north they travel in such num-
bers that their shoals, says Kirby, con-
eist OF millions of myriads, and are many
leagues in width, many fathoms in depth
and SO dense that the fish touch each
other. This stream continues to move at
rapid rate for months. A pair of her
rings, says Button, if left undisturbed
for twenty years, would produce .
progeny whose bulk would equal that of
the entire globe.
In certain parts of the East curious
mode Of capturing elephants is some
times adopted. A trained elephant will
first be taught to walk on narrow path
between two pitfalls which are covered
with turf and then it will be taken into
the woods, in order that it may decoy
the wild herd into the neighborhood Of
the snares. The "decoy' elephant.
having succeeded in the latter pur-
pose, will next, we are told, walk slowly
round and close to the traps, and then
suddenly hasten forward, as though
frightened, and proceed safely past the
pitfalls, in which some of the wild ele-
plants are almost certain to become en-
tangled IN their attempts to follow after
him. DR.. Darwin, who tells us of this
method of capture, says that, if any Of
the wild herd be fortunate enough to
escape from the traps, they never fail, if
possible, to pursue the traitor who had
endeavored to decoy them, and to have
revenge upon him; and sometimes they
have been known, in their rage, to beat
one to death.