Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-01-20

< s.HACIOUS canine at JohnStown Is npt .uing to get caught in another flood if it an help it. Every time 1t rains the dog rushcs to the fourth story and re- mains there until the downpour is over.
 A HORSE employed in lumber mill at Gucrnvillc, Cal, for the last twelve years to haul away the SawduSt has be- como so well acquainted with his work that he goes from one hopper to anoth- CT, through intricate passagcways, with out q driver and never strikes post. He begins and quits work by the whistle, the samo as the mon.
 A CITIZEN of Erie, Pa, was walking along tho street the other day when his dog camo up, pulled his coat and tried to make him retracc his steps. He turned around and followed the dog a short distance and picked up fino re- yolvcr. The dog seemed to know that the weapon was valuable, although it was too heavy for him to carry in his mouth.
 PEDESTRIANS on Eighth street, Plrla- delphia, were amused by the sagacity of a dog. The animal was trotting up street when suddenly his muzzlo fell to the sidewalk. He stopped, looked at it, and after a few attempts again got his head in the cage. But just as he started on his trot it fell of a second time. This was repeated four times. Then tho dog, apparently realizing that 1t was beyond him to fastcn tho muzzle, took it be- tween his teeth and ran on, his looks in- dicating the pride ho felt in mastering the difficulty.
 A RESIDENT of Depauville, N. Y., is tho owner of fine maltese cat that is unusually intelligent, and has devel- oped to remarkable degree traits that are seldom found in the cat family. The most popular thing about this particular Thomas is his love for a gun, . love which began to manifest itself about three years ago. The cat first began to follow his owner to the woods and fields in search of birds, and MT. Eigabroadt. noticing his liking for the sport, took some pains to develop the hunting in- stinct and mako Tommy useful. The cat was easily taught, and few lessons suf- feed to make him a trustworthy re. triever.
 A BLACK loon was shot in Washoe l lake, California, recently. Such a bird had never been seen there before, and it is supposed to have been driven out of its course by storm while migrating South from the Arctic regions. The bird measured eight feet six inches from tip to tip of it's expanded wings, and six feet and three inches from the point of its bill to the end of it's tail. The bill was nearly a foot in length.
 A REMARKABLE poised rock, famous throughout South America as ''the nov ing stonc," may be seen on Tandil mountain, in Buenos AypeS. It is "A feet high, 30 feet long and IS feet wide, containing over 5000 cubic feet and weighing twenty-five tons. It is irreg- ularly conical in shape, and rests upon 3 1 conicel support with a bearing surface some ten inches in diameter. The pow CT of a single man is sufficient to oscil- late the enormous mass, which, indeed, IS often swayed by the wind.
 | Iris sometimes said that tho branches of very old trees are, properly speaking, roots, and that if planted upside down the trees would flourish. Herr Kny, 8 German botanist, has recently investi- gated the matter by planting vines and ivy with both ends in tho ground, and consequently cutting them at the arch. The experiments were fairly successful, though not in every instance, and Herr Kny intends to continue them with other plants and trees, such as willows, poplars and roses.
 ACCORDING to Nature plant has lately been discovered in India which is possessed of high degree of cleo trical power. By breaking leaf off the hand is said to receive shock about equal to that produced by the conductor of an induction coil. A magnetic needle is affected by it at six inches. The elee- trical power of the plant is stated te reach it's maximum in the afternoon and to disappear at night. It is much in creased during a storm. The soil on which the plant grows contains none of the magnetic metsls. iron, cobalt or nickel.