St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-03

quarter Of a mile or more away, and might
be made to attract attention to the presence
of invisible danger by causing feg-horn to
be sounded,-Or otherwise, as might be nee
essary. The keen perception of science,
Mr.. Proctor thinks, may thus be put on
guard over our safety when our natural
senses fail.
Well may we doubt the success of the al
chemists of old in their search for the "elix-
ir of life,'' but if the views published in
England by Mr.. W. o. Dawson are correct,
modern science at least appears to be able to
retard the progress of old age. Mr.. Dawson
tells us that the changes which produce old
age are due to an excessive action of the
oxygen we breathe and to the accumulation
of lime salts in the body. He does not state
whether the oxygen effects may be in any
degree counteracted, but he believes that
life may be prolonged by reducing the cal
careous deposits to a minimum. This he
would accomplish by plan suggested by Mr.
de Lacy Evans. The plan is to avoid food
containing large proportion of earth salts
such as the meat from old animals-and to
use daily, after middle life, several glasses
of distilled water containing few drops of
phosphoric acid. Distilled water is neces-
sary on account of its great solvent power.
Queer Things in Nc,c Zealand.
1Moncure D. Conway in the Philadelphia Press.
The queerest thing 1 have seen out here is
the so-called ''bulrush caterpillar" or ''yeg-
etable caterpillar" This is also found in
New Zealand, where the natives name it
''Aweto Hotete, &" but I have two specimens
found in Tasmania. The plant is fungus,
icbf
above the ground generally in a single stem,
round, and curying at the end, like ser
pent. This end is thickly covered with
! brown seed for some three inches 1t grows
near the root of particular tree the ''rata."
When pulled up its single root is found
to consist of large caterpillar three inches
long, which, when dissected, is found to be
solid wood. Every detail of this grub is pre-
served. The spheria always grows out of
the nape of its neck. 1t is supposed that
when this grub chat of a large moth) bur
rows in the ground, one of the seeds gets be-
tween the scales of the neck, strikes root,
and completely turns the interior of the
creature into its own substance. Only the
shell is left intact, no smallest rootlet ap-
pearing anywhere. The aborgines also eat
this pure white grub, and friend tells me
that, taken raw, it is delicious. The
New Zealanders also burn the cater
pillar root and rub it into
their tattoo wounds. A good many people,
it is said, believe that the plant actually de-
velops the caterpillar form, and if this be
true, we cannot laugh much at those who be-
lieved in the vegetable Scythian lamb and
the Mandrake man, of which specimens are
preserved in the surgeons museum at Lon
don. The multiplication of rats in these far
off towns Ghey are not found in the bush,
though mice swarm there) is such as to in
cline one to Mr.. Walter Besant's belief in
Whittington's cat. Any sensible islander
would pay much to be rid of such pests.
I was unwise enough to
bring wicker trunk, and on the Pacific
steamer the rats entered it and
devoured the nice, soft parts of my boots.
With their usual daintiness they preferred
patent leather. In Hobart was at Sunday
supper in gentleman's house, when sud
denly the ladies began to climb on their
chairs in an astonishing way, and the young
men to rush about with poker and tongs.
They had not thought it necessary to explain
that rat had entered the room, which was
in the second story. 1t was not an uncom-
mon occurrence, and a gentleman said it
was one of his amusements to shoot rats in
his bath room with pistol.