Omaha daily bee., 1888-06-24
Il SINGULAR FREAKS.
A Doubled Headed Turtle-A Travel
ing Island.
\ BIRDS PECULIAR DEATH.
A Hermit Stung to Death-Wrapped
in Living Observation-Disclosures
Frcaks-A Dog Detective
a Strange Creature.
A Rird,s PecnIinr Death.

a Strange Creature.
A Birds Peculiar Death.
Among the strange things which
have found their way into the rooms OF
Natural History society is a sparrow
which was hanged by womans hair.
1t was discovered by T. A. Lamson, of
Worcester, Mass. Near his house is
number Of pine trees, and he saw at the
end of limb on one of these trees
sparrow suspended from branch. He
could see nothing by which the spar
row was hung, and it was a very cur
ious sight. His son, who was called,
went up into the tree and carefully
sawed off small portion of the limb.
The whole secret was then revealed.
On the twig was neatly built nest, in
which were three speckled eggs. When
examined, they were found to be cold,
which showed the home had been
broken up for some time. The male
sparrow was hung by n woman's hair,
which was placed around his neck just
as neatly as though it had been done by
human hands. The other end was
fastened to the nest, being a part OF 1T.
The eggs were on one side of the nest,
while on the other side was hole just
large enough for the bird to go through.
1t may be, perhaps, that he had been
pttacked by an enemy, and took this
way OF escaping, only to meet his
death. In going through the nest the
hair might have caught around the
'chipper's neck, and thus caused the
bird to choke to death.
A Double Headed Turtle.
Leighton Foster, Bennie Evans and
Lewis Bishop spent Saturday in hunt
ing for turtles, snakes, toads, butter
flies and bugs along the banks of West
river and on the West river meadows,
says the New Haven Conn., Palladium.
Among other specements captured was
q turtle which has two distinct heads
and necks, both perfectly formed, and
they move in any direction. The turtle
is about as large rs silver half dollar
If u fly is placed in the mouth Of one
head the other Immediately tries to
seize the fly. The turtle has consider
able trouble in walking, owing to the
fact that the heads at times become
posed of the idea of travelling in OPP
posite directions. This generally re-
suits in struggle of the feet and little
progress. Foster bought out the inter-
est of his two friends in the turtle and
has it at his home, 70 Kensington street.
He will offer it to the authorities at
Peabody museum.
A Hermit Stung to Death.
"Old Tim Williams,n the hermit,
aged seventy-siX, who has lived alone
upon small farm, amid underbrush
and thicket, at Lebanon, Conn, almos-
his entire life. was found dead there re
Gently. His place was seldom visited
owing to his eccentricities. He was de-
voted to his small garden, his chickens
and his bees. These and a cat and dog
were his only friends. His largest hive
of bees swarmed upon a huge apple
tree, just back of his hut. Fearing that
they would escape, he climbed the tree,
a distance of twenty-five feet, whence
he fell to the ground, stirring up the
bees in his descent. The bees followed
him down, and completely covered him
in their anger, stinging him hundreds
of times. With one leg broken, the
cage torn from his face, and too weak to
fight the insects, he was practically at
their mercy. They literally stung the
old man to death. When he was found
the bees still swarmed upon his body,
which presented pitiable sight.
A Travelling Island.
Sable island is being submerged and
is travelling eastward at such a rate that
any chart of it, to be accurate, would
need to be corrected every few years,
says an exchange. 1t is safe to say that
the latest chart obtainable by mariners
is some miles, at least, out of the way.
Since the beginning of the present cen
tury the island has decreased in length
from forty miles to twenty-two; in
breadth, from two and one-fourth to
something less than one; in height,
from 200 feet to eighty, while there has
been variation in the position of the
west end of not less than twenty-five
miles. With such startling figures as
these before us it is not hard to forecast
its future. Slowly, perhaps, and none
the less surely, and defying all attempts
or devices of feeble man to stay its ad-
vances, the time is coming when the
victorious waves will fling their trium-
phant spray over the last vestige of dry
land, and the lights of Sable island will
no longer send their warning CLEANS
across the fatal sands, that will then
far more than ever merit the sorrow
laden title of "An Ocean Graveyard u
A Mean Predicament.
A singular case of disputed identity is
reported from East Saginaw, Mich. A
horse car conductor in that city, II Is
related, was met by young lady sew
eral weeks ago who accosted him as her
brother, and has since insisted that he
is her brother, that he disappeared
from his home near Harrison two years
ago, and that the family had mourned
ever since over his departure. The
father, mother and brother of the young
lady were brought TO this city and
identified the conductor as Henry
Schaeifer, but he denied all knowledge
of them, states that he was born in Sag
inaw, and never before saw the alleged
relatives.
A Freak From the Blizzard.
A few days ago, a singular relic of the
blizzard was found in the garden of Gil
bert Glow, of Coeymans, N. Y. This
was nothing more nor less than the
head and forepart of a rabbit, which
was attached to the limb of tree. The
other half of the body, with the eXcep
tion of one shriveled leg, had disap'
peared. The inference is that the rab
bit was blown up into the tree, showed
upon and frozen fast. When the snow
melted the head and front of the little
animal remained, well preserved by the
severe cold.
Rorn With One Ear OnIy