The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-11-08
THE STATESMAN.
AUSTIN, TEXAS.
A Frog in a Solid Tree.

Mr.. James TILES, q farmer, living |
north of the city, stated to STATES
MAN representative that in telling
live oak tree last week, he found IN
the center of the tree a live frog. He
says there was no hole from the cav
ity in the tree, where the frog was |
found, to the outside, and that there |
was no way that the frog could have |
got in and no way for him to get out. |
The cavity. he says, had been made by |
Il part of the tree growing to-
hoped into this cavity before it grew
together and there remained eyer
since. If what Mr.. Giles says is true
that is, if he is not mistaken in his
observation, the matter is worthy of
more than passing attention. 1t
would demonstrate the fact that
frog can live in confinement without
food long time. A great many cases
of similar nature have from to time
been reported, but scientific men
have given little credence to
them though of late the opin-
| ion is changing. These cases
may be found noted in almost any
scientific work treating of such mat
tiers. There is one reported from In
dia, where parties are said to have
been digging deep in the earth and
among some very ancient Buddhist
relics live frog was exhumed that
must have lain buried for 100 years.
This case appears to be well authenti-
Gated as many of the most reliable
men of Bassiere witnessed the finding
of the reptile. There are a great
many cases of reported findings of
frogs in the hearts of living trees, like
the case reported yesterday by Mr..
Giles. There are also number
where frogs are said to have been
found in solid sandstone, and some
have been reported found in coal beds.
If these latter cases are authentic
then there is one member of the ami
nal kingdom that has demonstrated
the fact of Immortality. The frog
that could hop into the cryptagamOus
marshes of the carboniferous age and
remain from that remote time to the
present, is about as near possessing
Immortality as anything could pos
sesS. There can be no doubt but frogs
have been found in solid blocks
of stone, but the stone had
to be broken to discover the
frog, and scientific men have surmise1
that some way for the frog to crawl
tice, though the parties on the spot
declare there was none. The cases OF
such finds have been so numerous that
scientific men have made tests to see
how long a frog could live in SINH
lar confinement. AS early as 1925
DIR. Bucklapd made number of eX-
pariments to test the power of frogs
! living without food or air. lie made
twelve cells in blocks of porous sand
stone and put a good healthy frog in
to each cell. He fitted a block of
, glass in the opening of each cell and
carefully cemented it air
tight. The blocks were then
buried several feet in that earth. AT
ter year had gone by he dug up the
blocks and the frogs were examined
and were found as well and happy as
the day they were put in. Some of
them had grown fat on their thin diet
and had increased in weight as well
-, . The professor felt good-he
h i,a 81 ,,,o,-atrated that frogs could
live in NOT onlv "ir-tight blocks of
sand stone but that they JUN -. S the
fat on their peculiar food. He r.. Wiz
| frogs all back and sealed up the blocks
again and reburied them in the earth
ana le1C them 1or another year
when they were dug up
once more and to the great surprise
of all present every frog was found
to be-dead. Scientific men, however,
say this is not proof that frogs cannot
live forever in comatose state. They
say the frog at the time of his con-
iinement must be disposed to tOrpor.
They reason that a frog, by instinct,
when he felt the torpor coming on
would seek retirement and so would
be in condition to lie in the stupor
an indefinite and unlimited time;
while, being forced into retirement
he would not be in such a condition
more than half the year in cold coun-
tries. 1t is well demonstrated fact
that fish may be frozen solid and be
kept in the cake of ice for any length
of time and when thawed out will be
as lively as when it was frozen. Sci
entitic men reason that a frog con-
fined while in its comatose condition
will live until the condition is re-
moved, like the frozen fish, no matter
how long the period may be. The
Austin find of Mr.. Giles is another
evidence of the truth of the theory.