The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-05-14
tn GREAT Lis OF ras SEASON
A Mexican Tree That Devours Chick
ems, Bones ami AL.
From the st. Louis Globe Democrat.

From the ST. Louis Globe Democrat
CHIHUAHUA, April 22.-I have taken
much interest ia the study of botaly dur
Ing nv s1journ in this cou try, the q IRA Of
whicn presents one of the richest fslli for
the scientists in t world, aud have wan
| dered some distance from town on several
occasio S in my search for specimens. On
| one of these expeditions | noticed a dark
ject on ne OF the outlying spurs of the
Bic r Mad @ mountains, hicA Quiet ex-
cited M curiosity so much that exa uilled
it car tul Y through nv fed glass. This
revealed That the object was tree or shru d
SUCH al unusual ..ppearance that | re-
solved To visit the SPOT.
| rode to the mountain, the sides Of which
81 ped sufficiently for me to make my way
CD horseback to wi hin few rods of tue
summit But here | was sto ped by an
abruut rise 50 steep that | departed of
| reachin it even on foot. l went around
several times seeking for some way to climb
| up, tut the Jagged, beetling rocks afforded
not the slightesG fOothold. O tle top Of
this knob stands the tree had seen. From
| the spot on whlc | now stood ! }uh see
that II esembled somewh It in form the
wee ilg will w, but tae long, dropping
wnip-liAe mos were Of a dark and ap a.
| re tlv SHINY appearance, and seemed pos
sessed f Irlnle, lifelike power Of coilung
AMI uncoiIi &. Occasionally the Whole tree
would seem . wrltai ~, squirning mas.
Ny deslre to invt stigate is strange
vege able product increas on each Of tie
ma KIP dlt.oas | made TO the spot, and
at asst saw a sight ole dav whic made
me believe / mad certai lily discovered al
uAheard- thing. A bird which | ha /
"a cned circling a out r some time Fl lally
settled on the top Of the tree, wne the
b, anches began to awaken. as were, d
to curl upward They t~lnsd a al twisted
ike SNAKES about the bird, " Itch began to
scream, and drew it down in their ,arfu
EN- race un IL | lost sglt of it. Horror
stricken, / seiz II nearest rock i \ q a.
te pit to Climb the knob. l had so often
tried in vain to 10 this that was not sur
prsed when | fell back, but the ok was
seued and fell al ,. IL narrowly mis- Sed
me, bl sprang up ulhurt, a d saw that
the fallen rock mad Left considerable
cavitF.
l put my face tn it and looked in. Some
thug Ii a cavern, he floor of Is hicl ad
a upward endency, met sight, and |
felt current fresh air blowing l me,
with dry, ea-thy smell Evidently ther,
was othe opsnIng SO new lere, und lub5-
edly at 9 sun ii. Using ny lro vel,
W ich alw US carried on my botanic ~
expeditions. | enlarged the hole, and then
Iusled my way up throlgA the p IS age.
When / had nearly reached the top looked
out cautiously o see if l should emerge
within reacI Of that diabolical tree. Blu l
| found IL nowhe ear the aperture, so
| sprang out. WIS ju t In time to see the
| hatteued carcass of [ bird drop TO the
| & GU d, which was covered with bones aud
| feat ers
app cached as c osely as dared and ex-
amlued the tree l. was low IN slzs. not
more than feet high, but covert great
area. Its unk was Of nroiigious tnicK-
ness knotted d scaly From the TOP OF
this trunk. few feet from the ground, its
| Shiny branches curved upward and down.
W rd, nearly TOUCHING the ground with
their tapering tips Its appe rance wa
that OF a gigantic tarantula awaiting it,
prey. On my ventura g to lig Itly touch
| one Of the limbs, 1t closed upon my han
with sue force tAa5 when | tore it loose
the sin came WITH l desce dei t ell.
and clio ing the p ,ssag' eiurned ho ne.
Iw Mt back n xt day ca ring half dozen
chicks IS with W icn 70 reed the tree. tbs
IN mani s>ed it the fowls violent agi'
Ia 10 shook its bra cle,. with s"ayed c
al fro with siluols, elk mott IN. After
devou ing the fowls, III 49, bralc es, fully
gorged, dro red o their former posi-.
| lio., the tree, givi - no sig Of lima
ton, d ,rei ap 9roaca it and lake the lin o.
| in NV La nj. They we Covered with
suckers. res milling the ten acles Of al
&C opu TIE bio Il the 70 Is had heer
al sorbed by tiles sucker, leaving crims N
st II - on rk surface. Tuere was no
! foliage, OF course, Of any kind.
| Without speaking about my discovery
any ols. / "rote al ac cunt of 1t t.
tne W r d.fa nous botanist, p 4 Word n
| hau t OF the u diversity OF He idelberz. His
eDly states that IN tree list Ie A bic Dia-
! DO /, only two specimens Of watch have ever
| zee kno v.l---o eola eak o. the II n i
| lavas the OF Ter on : ie Is and of um
! ira. inc tuetli d. Prof. Worde ihaupt
says thai tn A Dor Dlaboh AID the plan
known as Venu, q t ap, ere the onl1
! knoAn spec meas, gr ,wils on laud, o
ito for ms OF life W .ich artake Of IA u
! of both the IA imal d vegetable ri cd ms
| al .huug I ere are 81 nc's too nu herOus
| 10 ne ton found II this class Ia the sea
! The Pc tuguess man-of may be mon
| toned. how, YER. as one, aud tue sponge a
| the best known speci en-.