Western appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1885-18??, 1888-08-18
NOTES FOR NATuRALisTs.

A STRANGE new insect, somewhat on the
lines Of the lady bug, has appeared by mill
ions in the oat fields Of Duchess County,
n. Y, and threatens to make the harvest a
light and chaffy one
The smallest known Towering plant,
scarcely visible to the naked eye, is WolfiG
microscopic, q water weed of India. Two
species Of the same genus, the largest about
one twenty fifth of an inch in diameter,
grow in the eastern United States.
In Sylvania, Ga, recently, a strange
animal parasite put in an appearance. It is
i worm which frequents the tails of cows,
sencircling the bone and cutting off the APP
pendage According to resident of the
place who had observed its movements, it
is invulnerable to even so strong an appli-
cation as kerosene.
Two PERFECTLY pure white birds, which
were caught in Galena, Ill, have been ex-
amined by local ornithologists, who pro-
nounce them genuine robins. These ex-
ceedingly rare specimens Of the feathered
tribe are about two-thirds grown aud were
taken from a nest known to have been built
by robins Of the ordinary red breasted va
riety.
The Geological Society, of Philadelphia,
mourns the loss of a queer animal, belong
ing to the lowest mammalian group, and
known as the echidna. Though among
these animals the mothers nurse the young,
the latter are born from eggs laid by the
mother parent, and Matched as in birds and
reptiles. As the ANIMALS mouth is only adj
justed to the use Of ants as food, and these
could not be supplied in sufficient quantity
by those having this peculiar specimen in
charge, it lived only six weeks.
THERE grows in Mixteca, Mex, a plant
which the natives call The Herb of Proph-
ecy." It is said that whoever partakes of
the herb, in a few moments sinks into q
sort of sleep, or rather hypnotic state, in
which, while apparently quite insensl-
bic, he has kind aof prophetic gift, or
double sight, answers questions that arc
put to him, and becomes under the will
Of another that he obeys any command,
even to taking his own life When the
effects of the herb wear off he remembers
nothing of what he has done.
NIGHTINGALEs build at the bottom of
hedges and shrubs. They use dry oak
leaves and arrange them according to the
direction in which the leaves have curled,
SO aley fit partially over one another, like
plates in coat Of mail. Inside the leaves
there is lining of grass and small roots;
but the loose grace of the outside is so de-
ceptive that only a skillful observer can
guess that the mass of dry leaves he sees
huddled together among tWigs and grasses
is anything save heap Of refuse left be-
hind by some winter whirlwind.
THE vineyards in the vicinity of Varna,
Bulgaria. have been attacked by,a new kind
OF an insect pest called the kara terri. or
the black tailor an appellation which is
supposed to indicate it's appearance and
habits. It is described as an adipose black
beetle, measuring about three-fourths of an
inch in body-length, and furnished with
short pair of shears with these, in the
mornings of April and May, it cuts off the
young vine shoots, which it leaves on the
ground until they are parched by the sun,
when it drags them into the recesses Of it's
deep and tunneled hole, generally situated
at the foot of the plant attacked. Fl
The dugong, species of whale taken in
large numbers at Queensland, has probably
furnished the slender basis of fact upon
which the mermaid and norman stories are
founded. It is about eight to twenty feet in
length, lives upon submarine beds of sea-
weed, breathes by means of lungs, has
humanlike head with hair resembling
mans beard The flesh of the animal is
eaten and is said to have the flavor of beef,
veal or bacon, according to the part of the
body from which the meat is taken. Tho
oil has all the medical qualities of cod-liver
oil, without the disagreeable taste or smell
of the latter.