The Portland daily press., 1886-08-30

The proneness of people to believe on in
sufficient evidence some things which their
Judgment tell them must be false has just
been illustrated by very peculiar case in
Cambridge, Mass. Last week woman who
lives in that place affirmed that she had
vomited a live bat, and in evidence she
showed the animal to several physicians.
The story she told is interesting. About
seven years ago, while living in another
town, she went out to pump in the yard
one dark night and drank some water from
dipper She soon began to feel pain in her
side, and it increased during the night and
continued for fortnight. She consulted
several doctors, but obtained no relief, and
the pain has continued at frequent intervals
during the succeeding years. Last Monday
night the pain became very severe, but relief
came by vomiting. When daylight came
bat was revealed, healthy and Tapping, but
unable to escape The woman had no doubt
UTIaJ SIG IIdu uiSvuyvrvys
kept her in misery for seven years; and ex-
pressed great relief that the "scratchings"
of the bat at the walls of her stomach were
over.
When the story became noised around
there was great wonder in Cambridge at the
adventures of the bat, which evidently had
first lived in well. then been pumped into a
dipper, and finally swallowed for sojourn
of seven years in human beings stomach.
Finally the subject was brought to the atten-
ton of one of the savants of Harvard Col
lege, who is credited with some knowledge
of bats of this variety. He steutly declared
that it was an impossibility for lung
breathing animal like a bat to live in per-
sons stomach; and said that there is no
doubt that the bat in question came into the
woman's room through window on the
night of the woman's sickness in time to
figure in the subsequent performance. But
the woman herself and some of her neigh
bors will have none of the learned pro-
fessor's theories, and will doubtless con-
tinue to believe in the extraordinary ability
of the bat to adapt himself to circumstances.
This incident has suggested to the Boston
Transcript very interesting experience of
Professor Jeffries Wyman, the distinguished
comparative anatomist. Professor Wyman,
on entering the office of his friend, DR..
| Augustus A. Gould, an eminent Boston ply
stefan, was asked his opinion about curious
case. His friend, a clergyman, had just
brought in an animal which he said worthy
| parishioper of his, man of unimpeachable
veracity, after some years of suffering in his
stomach, had recently vomited, while sitting
on rock in an open field. The animal tried
to escape, but was caught Professor Wy
man at once recognized it as young black
snake, which could not have lived years in
the mans stomach and then been vomited.
The clergyman Indignantly denied that his
worthy parishioner could be mistaken or
would deceive, and wanted to argue the case.
The professor said he would not waste time
| in dispute, and with his penknife Immediate
| ly opened the reptiles stomach and turned
out some grasshoppers, beetles and other
| remnants of the usual food of such animals.
| He said to the clergyman, at seems that
your parishioner has a liking for peculiar
| kind of diet"