Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-07-25
CURIOUS, USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC.
THE SIREN.

THE SIREN.
This name no longer applies to femi-
nine frauds of the class that tempted
Ulysses and his crew to destruction, but
is given to an ugly two-limbed batrach-
ian, a singular salamander that inhablts
the rice bitches and similar localities III
South @ rolina and the Gulf States
One of these curious creatures is now at
the Philadelphia Geological Gardens,
where, however, it cannot be said to be
exhibited, since its mode of life re-
quires it to be buried in several inches
of soft mud, which obscures the water
when it moves. The siren is distin-
guished from all other salamanders by
It's lack of posteriOr members, and from
most others by the persistence through
out life of gills adapted to breathing air
only when kept moist. Thus the siren
is step nearer to the fishes than are
ordinary salamanders, which are fish
like only in their immature tadp0le
stage and afterward become cold-blood
ed air breathers with lungs like rep
tiles. -PhilGdeloh5G Record.
A SINGULAR CASE OF SNAKE. BITE.
A man named Joseph g.. MARITIME suf-
fers from a most singular atfiction. Mar
tine was bitten by snake the 18th OF
last December. The reptile was not con-
sidered to be of poisonous species.
The wound, which was on the right
wrist, healed in due time and nothing
further was thought of the incident I'M
til March %, when a feeling Of numb
ness set in in his arm. Thence the feel
ing extended until it affected the entire
right side of his body and the limbs at
tached thereto. Since May 10th the APP
plication of a red-hot iron to the flesh
on that side of his hody causes him no
pain whatever, but If a piece of ice or
drop of cold water is touched to it he is
thrown into violent commissions. The
left side is entirely unaffected. His
mental faculties and digestive organs
are also unaffected, and be talks as
cheerfully and eats as heartily as any
healthy being, bgt he is helpless so far
as concerns manual labor or physical
exercise. He can stand only when lean
ing against some object on his right. =
GT5dLey (Cal.) Herald.
JAPANESE MEDICINES.
AsI rode behind the naked-backed
jinriksha coolies, noticed along each
side of the spine, from the head TO the
hips, white irregular scars about the
size of dime, indicating, supposed,
some skin disease, to which they are
very subject from their diet and expos
ure when young. These were the marks
left by the moxa, a household remedy,
probably invented in Japan-a painful
and powerful agent, we'll known in
modern surgery. 1t is made of the pith
of a reed (Artemisia), mixed with
powdered charcoal, in a conical form.
This is ignited, applied to the skin, and
allowed to burn slowly until extln-
guished. The flesh is severely burned,
with the resulting scar alluded to. As
if this were not sufficient to dispel the
"winds and vapors, which they and the
Chinese believe to be the cause of all
diseases, this is combined with the acu-
puncture, the needle passing through
the moxa deeply into the tissues, and
conveying the heat to the supposed seat
of disease. AS they employ this every
spring as preventive measure, it is rare
to see a coolie without these scars. The
accoucheur calls it to his aid, and is di-
rected to burn three cones on the little
toe of the right foot to accelerate the
! operation of nature. Even infants are
thus tortured.
A DEAR IN THE PANTRY.
Bears are getting so uncomfortable
numerous around Moosehead Lake as to
alarm even the old Indians and other
settlers by their frequent holiness and
surprising cunning. The other night
members of the family of George G..
Luce, living about two miles northwest
from the head of the lake and near the
west branch of the Penobscot River,
were aroused by John Abbo, who had
| heard an unusual noise IN the pantry,
and, coming down stairs, they saw by a
light shining from Mr.. Luce's bedroom
large bear helping himself to family
provisions. Abbo's gun was standing
near the pantry door, and within foot
OF the bear, which unconcerned watched
the approach Of Abbo while he tested
the various articles within reach. AL
this was going on while Mr.. and Mrs.
Luce slept, oblivious to the intrusion,
within few feet of the scene. Abbc
finally succeeded in reaching his gun,
when the bear retreated through the
pantry window, which he had smashed
on getting into the house. Mitchell
Francis, an Indian sleeping in an ad-
joining bed, was aroused by the break
ing of the glass, and he, together with
Abbo, drove the bear into the woodshed,
but were unable to shoot with any GER
tainty on account of the darkness. Find
ing himself cornered, Bruin made a
plunge and went completely through
the rear of the shed, which was strongly
boarded, and escaped in the darkness.
In about an hour, however, Abbo found
the brute in the pantry again, as did
Luce. This time Abbo went to the
window just in time to save the retreat,
and without stopping to raise the win
dow, took aim, fired, and the bear fell,