The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-12-19

mothers carried the little ones, all in
hurry now to get over and relieve the
bridge. Avery ancient-looking monkey
was the last to cross, and he picked his
way over in such deliberate manner
that l laughed aloud, whereupon ensued
a curious scene. The old fellow nearly
lost his balance, for the monkeys at the
end released their hold, and the entire
bridge swung over. The moment it
cleared the water, each monkey seemed
to release his grasp, dropping here and
there and scampering off among the
tree-tops with loud gatherings and cries
of rage and fear. What they would
have done if had alarmed them before,
/ hardly know, but some would probably
have gone overheard
II saw the same bridge making many
times in the interior, and it was often
done to enable the monkeys to cross
from one tall tree to another, where to
descend to the ground would have
opened them to attack from various
enemies.
"This bridge-making habit is found in
number of families of ants, especially
those of Africa and certain kinds that
go off on long predatory journeys.
"Camels have been used for similar
purpose, and often the great hippopota-
muses. have been observed lying in such
numbers in the water that their bulky
forms fairly filled the stream, so that
land birds and cranes walked over on
the living bridge. In these cases, the
bridge-makiRg was wholly intentional,
and every move was conducted with
great skill, showing that something
akin to what we call thought had been
utilized.
''But there are other instances, per-
haps more amusing, where animals
have been used as bridges by human
beings. Perhaps the most remarkable
instance of this kind occurred some
years ago in Russia. In certain regions,
especially about the Volga River, the
sturgeon fisheries are extremely valua-
BILE; so much so that there are over one
hundred thousand persons engaged in
catching this one fish. We have stur-
geons in our waters, particularly in the
hudson, where they are called Albany
beef, that are huge fellows, enclosed in
a thick bony armor, but harmless with
al, having small mouths under the
snout and no teeth, as their food con-
sIsts OF the very smallest animals and
perhaps vegetable matter.
I'm this country the surgeons rarely
} attain length of over six feet, but in
[ the Volga the one known to naturalists
+ as AcclpenSer htSo grows to length of
Twenty-Five feet, and is a perfect mon
; ster. Part of the year it lives in the salt
water, but as spring comes on, it swims
up the great rivers to deposit its eggs,
or roe, as they are called, and to collect
tins is one reason why the sturgeon is
followed so persistently. The roe ID
made into caviare, and sent all over the
world, the eggs of one season being of
ten valued at one hundred and sixty
= thousand dollars. Besides this, the
membrane of the air-bladder is, wher
prepared, made into isinglass, and thirty
thousand pounds have been secured il
; one season, valued at eighty Thousand
dollars The meat is eaten and the
skins are used as window-glass, so thai
; 1t Will be seen that the sturgeon is {
: valuable fish. To obtain so much prof
T, table material it is evident that they
Il must be caught in vast numbers, anC
such is the case. The great fish, weigh
: ing from one hundred t
U four hundred and sixty pound,
: and averaging from five to twenty-fv,
!, feet in length, rush into the Volga a
u certain seasons in such quantities that
million and half have been killed il
single season. During these migration
Z the scene is often curious one. Tn
L people far and wide are excited at tn
/ prospect, and rush to the stream wit
3 various weapons of otfense but so vas
L are the numbers of the fish that nothin
dcters them. At Rubibinsk the river
g quite narrow, being about three hundre
a and fifty feet in width, and twenty-eigh
Y In depth, and here, some years ago, dul
r ing an unprecedented run of fish,a mos
s. remarkable scene was enacted. The er
.; tire country roundabout was aroused
l and so alarmed were the fish in tn
!, L. river below that they moved up toward
u kubibinsk in solid mass, like a gres
~ waVei as the space grew narrower the
u became more compressed, and finally
70 at the town just mentioned, the rive
IN was fairly blocked with them, and u
70 and down the stream for a considerab
" distance there was an actual bridge
z surgeons, their bodies force
ID out of water while man,
Pc by the squeezing process, were thrust Ell
Y tirely out upon the backs of others. ]
go fact, the Volga Was bridged with fisl
ey and excited fishermen, armed with clul
p and spears, dashed upon the monster
IL standing on their backs and jumpin
e, from one struggling fish to another; no
ST with one foot on one and one on anothe
40 Surely it was remarkable sight! Me-
ISL women and children walked upon iis
"a and dragged them upon shore as tn,
oy could, while the fishermen, standir
an amid the struggling mass, killed hu
as dreds For several hours this curio
warfare continued, but finally the ia
was broken, and the great mass of fl
Nv surged ahead and continued their n