Connecticut western news., 1890-11-26
A BLOOD SUCKING PLANT.
A Peculiarly Deadly Vine That Grows 1
 the Woods of Nicaragua,

A Peculiarly Deadly Vine That Grows in the Woods of Nicaragua.
 Leroy Danstan, we'll known natur- alist of New Orleans, who has re- turned from Central America, where he spent nearly two years in the study of
 the flora and fauna of the country, re-
 lates the finding of a singular growth
 in one of the swamps which surround
 the great lake of Nicaragua He was
 engaged in hunting for botanical and
 chronological specimens in this swamp,
 which is known as San Sebastian's,
 when he heard his dog cry out as if in
 agony, rom a distance. Running to the spot from which the aniamars cries came, MT. Dunstan found him envel-
 oped in a perfect network of what seemed to be a fine, rope like tissue of roots or 1bers, the nature of which was unknown to him.
 The plant or vine seemed composed entirely of bare, interlacing stems, re- sembling more than anything else the
 branches of weeping willow denuded of all foliage, but of dark, nearly
 black hue, and covered with a thick, viscid gum that exuded from the pores. Drawing his knife, Mir Dunstan en- deavored to cut the animal free, but it was only with the greatest difficulty that he succeeded in severing the feshy, muscular fiber. To his horror and alnazement the naturalist then saw that the dogs body was covered with blood, while his hairless skin appeared to have been actually sucked or puckered in spots, and the animal staggered as if from weakness and exhaustion.
 In cutting the vine the twigs curled like living, sinuous fingers about MT. Dunstan's hand, and it required no slight force to free the members from its clinging clasp, which left the flesh red and blistered. The gum e1uding from the vine was of a dark grayish tinge, remarkably adhesive and of disagreeable animal odor, very power ful and nauseating to inhale.
 The native servants who accompa- nied MT. Dunstan manifested the great est horror of the vine, which they call Ia sagenas de diable-the devils seine, or snare-and were full of stories of it's death dealing powers. One of these stories was of an Englishman residing in Managua, who, while hunting in the swamp a few years before, lay down beneath tree where large and pow erful specimen of this singular plant was growing, and, inadvertently falling asleep, awoke to find himself enyeloped in it's web, and, in spite of every effort made to extricate him, perished in its deadly embrace .,,
 Another story was of an escaped con- ivict, who had hidden in the swamp, and whose bones had been found in the folds of the sagenas only short time before MT. Dunstan's visit. These stor- ies, remarkable as they may seem, are firmly believed in by the people, but the only three specimens which MT. Dunstan was able to find were all small ones, though the meshes of the largest would probably, if extended in a straight line, measure nearly, if not quite, 100 feet.
 He was able to discover very little about the nature of the plant, owing to the difficulty of handling it, for it's grasp can only be torn away with loss of skin, and even of flesh; but as near as Mr. Dunstan could ascertain, it's power of suction is contained in a num- Der of infinitesfmA mouths or little suckers, which, ordinarily closed, open for the reception of food.-Frank Les lies Monthly. ,|