Connecticut western news., 1890-07-16
Belligerent Owls.


 disturbed the peace of John Mayors home, in the outskirts of Plainf1eld, N. J. The first appearance of the owls was noticed by one of MT. Mayors sons, who in romping about the barn dis covered a nest of the young birds. There were no larger owls in sight, and the boy made one of the owlets captive and carried it to the house. His mother compelled him to return it to its nest.
 He had no sooner placed 1t with the others than one of the older birds ap- peared and attacked him furiously, beat ing him in the face with its wings and scratching him with its claws and bin Shielding himself with his arms the lad ran away. The owl left him at the barn door. That afternoon one of the young ladies of the family had occasion to visit the carriage house, when a great owl flew down and alighted on her back. She shook it off with difn- culty, and in the struggle had her gar ments torn.
 Since then owls have taken complete possession of the outbuildings and their surroundings. Scores of the birds, which are of the day owl species, have fol lowed the first corners and have made their nests in the barn. Several have been killed, but this seems only to make the others more fierce. Even the men dare not venture near the nesting places without masks or other protection.
 The novel defense of umbrellas has been at last adopted, and now when any member of the Mayer family visits the owls castle he holds & parachute over his head. Already three umbrel- las have been ruined by the birds dash ing against them in vain endeavors to reach the faces of the carriers. The Mayer family are in state of mind They don't want to move out, but they cannot dispossess their belligerent ten ants.-St. Louis Globe-Dispatch.
 A couple from New York state who were married Thursday by a Newark, N. J., justice, on being questioned ex- plained that they had simply come to town on business, and while shopping made up their minds to get married. The groom is 57 years old, and the bride, who was his honsekeeper, is 22 years younger.
 A gentleman has offered $5,OO0 to any university in New England that will send a physicist to witness Keely's experiments, who will bind himself not to give an opinion until the nature of Kee1y's discoveries have been made known to him, and he has seen the demonstrations which Keely is ready to make in proof of his claims as dis coverer, not as an inventor.
 One of the most extraordinary of African trees is that known as the ha- obab. It is almost forest in itself, and serves as complete sylvan palace on the largest scale. Rarely growing more than seventy feet high, it's branches extend horizontally, support ed by trunk which has girth great Fer, it is believed, than that of any other known tree. One of these extraordin- ary trees was found on measurement to be forty feet ill diameter. The age of another, counting the concentr1c rings, was found to be 5000 years at the very least.
 It is now believed that the mann moth abounded to as great an extent upon the east as on the west coast of Behring sea In fact, mammoths have already been discovered in Alaska, and news comes that syndicate has been formed for the purpose of procur- ing their ivory tusks, which are now of great value and which will undoubt- edly continue to become more valu- able as the elephant is being extermi- mated.
 An innovation in the placing of the orchestra, inaugurateS at the first "Ascanio" performances at the Grand Opera house, consists in making all the players face the audience, instead of playing partially toward the stage and partially toward the audience. The conductors stand is placed at the point farthest removed from the stage, and he, of course, turns his back to- ward the audience; but as he is in front of all his forces he is not obliged, as is so often the case now in our oper- atic performances, to turn partially or wholly around to make musicians aware of his intentions.