The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-01-20
FAoTs FOR THE cuRIOus.

THE ostrich is liable to sudden fits of
jealousy, and frequent quarrels occur
when several birds are In one Enclosure,
resulting sometimes in the death of one
of the contestants.
The pawn is very particular about his
toilet. He is one of the few crustacea
which has been seen to brush himself
up with great care. The front claws are
fine and delicate, and carry little brushes
on their tips.
THE largest steam hammer in the
United States is in the Black Diamond
steel works in Pittsburgh, Pa. The
hammer weighs seventeen tons, while
the anvil block under it weighs 100 tons.
With full head of steam it will strike
blow of ninety tons.
THE human body is seven-eighths wa
ter. All the tissues owe their softness toit,
and even the bones have a share of this
fluid. No organ of the body could per-
form its duty, nor could life be sustained
without it. Alcohol burns up the water,
diseases and destroys the body.
THE hard, black German slate pencil
has been superseded of late years by
At the quarry near Castleton, VT, about
ellis daily, and 1t Is proposed to increase
the daily output to 100, 600. The blocks
when quarried are sawed into pieces
seven by twelve inches, split to thick
ness of a half-inch and smoothed by
planer. The block is passed under a
semi-circular knife, and, after having
been turned over, the process is repeated.
The result is fifty seven-ineh pencils. A
particle of quartz in the block would
break ali tsze pencils. Fhey are pointed
by grindstone, turned, assorted, and
sent to market IN boxes of 100.
WITHIN seventy-five miles of Prescott,
Arizona, IN the vicinity of Fort Mellow
ell, has been found large mound, 500
by $50 feet in extent, with walls of stone
two feet thick surrounding; within and
down to the depth of ten feet have been
found some implements of all descrip-
tons; also utensils of peculiar material
painted on the inside with Egyptian
characters, ornaments of shell, needles
of bone, and, in fact, perfect museum
of relics of the age and of a race now ex-
tinct There were also found tombs
three tier deep, and, underneath, cisterns
of water. The walls are made of rock
found six miles from the mound. Near
the quarry are found paintings of beasts
of burden, and very large animal re-
semblng the mastOdon; also several un-
known figures. The bones found in the
tombs were partially destroyed by fire,
and the walls showed disturbance by
upheaval. This is probably the most
important discovery made in Arizona.
A CERTAIN spider-found in the
southern part of Europe-makes a curl
GUS cradle to preserve her babies through
the cold winter, so that the spider family
shall not be exterminated. She makes
a silk case somewhat the shape of a
balloon upside down, not quite half an
inch long, and fitted with door or cover,
which may be opened, though she leaves
1t carefully closed. In this are placed
the eggs, from which little spiders Will
come out in the spring. To protect
them from enemies and the cold the
anxious mamma makes an outer case of
exactly the same shape, only about an
inch long, and of course larger all around,
also fitted with a closed door Between
the two cases the space is stuffed with a
golden-brown colored silk, which she
spins herself, and makes it warm and
comfortable inside. The whole thing is
hung to bush, and left throughout the
winter