Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-07-31
THE NATURALISTS' WORLD.
Some Freaks of Nature and Facts
About Animal Life

A cat caught mouse on lawn and
let it go again in her cruel way in or
der to play with it. when the mouse,
inspired by despair, and seeing only
one hole possible to escape into, name
ly the round, red throat of the cat,
very visible through her open mouth,
took n bold spring into her jaws, just
escaping between her teeth, and strug-
gled and stuffed himself into her throat
with the result that the cat was suffo-
Gated.
There is negro woman in Marietta,
Ga, who is gradually turning white
white spots over her face and other
parts of her body. The bleaching pro-
cess of nature has been going on for
some time. The woman is working for
one of the best families in the place.
She is apparently in good health, and
the white spots, which keep growing
and spreading over her body, cannot
be accounted for upon any other hy-
pothesis than that she has n peculiar
skin disease that is working out this
wonderful transformation 1t gives
her no uneasineSs whatever, because it
is painless.
A very good spider-and-fy story is
told on the authority of Mr.. Thomas
Bell, the naturalist, who witnessed the
act "A very strong, loud, clustering
fellow OF bluebottlc fly bounced acct
dentally into a spiders web. Down
rushed the old spider and threw her
long arms around his neck; but he
fought and struggled, and blew his
drone, and battered and tore the web
into holes, and so got loose. The spi-
der would not let loose his hold, and
the fly flew away with the, spider"
When snakes are shedding their
skins they will not eat at all, as they
90 blind, and n snake will not eat any
thing it cannot see. When they are
about to shed their skins, they give q
great blow at their mouths, and this
loosens their skin, and it comes off
from the head and they crawl out.
Then they are very hungry and will eat
anything. Some snakes won't eat in
the daytime; others won't eat when
there is q crowd looking on.
In the ''Travels in Spain," by the
Marquis of Zanole, he SPEAKS of par
rot that retained = number of things
an incredible number of stories and
anecdotes-which it related and articu-
lated without hesitation. 1t spoke
Spanish, murdered French, knew some
verses of Racine, could say grace, re-
peat the fable of the crow and count
thirty louis. They dared scarcely to
hang the cage ut the window, for when
he was there and the weather was fine.
the parrot talked necessarily. 1t said
everything it knew, apostrophised all
passers by, except women, and talked
politics To one of these birds Prince
Leon owed his life. He had been con-
demned to death by the father, and the
parrot took it SO much to heart that he
kept repeating: ALAS! my master Le-
on, and the sorrow of the bird made
such an impression on the brutal father
that he released his son.
The Albatross has brought North
quite q curiosity. 1t is q double turtle;
or, in other words, two turtles connect
ed a la Siamese twins. The two ami
mails are joined together at their pos
terror extremities, and where the con-
nection is made the fleshy part is near
ly rs thick as at any other part of the
body. There are two separate, nearly
circular shells on the back, and at each
extremity Of the combined animal lit
lie head projects, while there are three
legs on each side, making six in all.
The entire length of this monster is
about four inches, and it is, approx
mately, two inches wide.
A three-legged kitten, some twenty
five days old, is n living curiosity at
Marietta, Ga. The front shoulder
where the fourth leg should naturally
appear is perfectly smooth.