The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-25
ITEMS OF INT REST,

FROM Greenup. Ky. comes a story about one
Thomas Odell, 90 years old. who was moved to
throw himself into the water when he partook
OF dsh, TO eat grass when he had eaten beef
and 80 on and who lost his life by trying to
jump from tree to tree after having eaten
heartily OF squirrel.
IT HAD been pouring hard all day, says a
writer in the London Spectator; everything was
soaking, and the poor pony looked in vain for a
dry spot TO lie on. After evidently deliberate
thought, 1t went I'D to q COW that had been
lying in one place for long while aud gave her
most vicious kick; this he repeated several
times, until at last she was compelled regret
fully to rise. whereupon the pony promptly lay
down in the very spot occupied and kept dry by
the COW.
SOME Swiss papers relate that q sportsman
recently succeeded in capturing in the Savoy
Alps an eagles most, after killing the mother
bird. The nest, which was large enough to
hold several persons, was made of thick
branches, covered with straw and rubbish and
In it he found, besides a young eagle, the fol-
lowing remains OF a feast: Fresh and stale
meat, recently killed hare. q channels feet
pigeons feet so pheasants' feet, chickens
feet Il chickens heads Is heads Of grouse and
other wild birds, and remains of snakes squir-
rels, rabbits, marmotS and other game.
AFACT which Is not generally known outside
OF sporting circles is that a gunner who seeks
to do the best work he is capable of. REQUIRES to
would be for his suit OF clothes. To facilitate
this operation, new adjustable gun has been
devised The bend and cast-off of the gun are
adjusted by means of screws and the points of
each are placed in grooves running parallel to
the line of the butt. The length of the butt is
also adjusted by screws in the heel. The length
and bend of the stock can in this way be regu-
lated in the length of neck and arm Of the
shooter as well as to the various special require
ments to which mis- style Of shooting may give
rise
INg LII ltrx-
and Curiosities of London" there are the fol-
lowing particulars concerning minute pad
lock: In the twentieth year OF the reign of
Queen Elizabeth, Mark Scarlior, a blacksmith,
made lock consisting of eleven pieces Of stee
iron and brass, all Of which, together with the
key, weighed but small fraction over one
grain. He also made chain of gold consisting
OF forty three links, which, after fastening it to
the lock and key above mentioned, he put
around the neck of a common flea, the whole
being 40 minute that the little insect could draw
them over silver plate with perfect ease, All
OF these together, lock, key, chain and fiee
weighed slight fraction less than two and
half grains.
WHEN the British steamer Yorker arrived at
Marseilles from Rangoon, says the New York
Advertiser. the captain reported that several of
his crew had died in terrible agony after par
taking OF some fish which had been caught In
tropical waters In these regions many Ash are
found which at certain seasons, or 1t may be In
the case OF some species always, are exceedingly
POISONOUS wnen used as foo0 This is especially
the case with such fish as feed on medusae and
on certain coral banks. Experts say that great
caution has to be observed in eating fish caught
In tropical waters. and TOO much attention can
not be bestowed on the warn ngs of those whose
experience OF the ish found in various neigh
borhoodS enables them to say which should be
avoided as articles Of diet.
HARPINs are made by automatic and very
complicated machines. The coiled wire is nut
upon drums, and becomes Strengthened as 1t
Do tFf1l 49, h.
until IL reaches two cutters, which point the
end at the same time they cut it the length re-
quired. The piece Of wire then slips along an
iron plate until 1t reachesa slot through which
1t is pressed into regul ar shape. The hairpins
are then put into pan and japanned, after
which they are heated in an oven with q TEN.
perature OF from 300 to 400 degrees. There are
but four American factories. The largest are
in Birmingham and Waterbury, Conn, and the
others in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Five hum
DIR ed thousand dollars worth Of harpins are
annually imported from England, France and
Germany,
SEVERAL different countries, America Asia
Minor, Tartary, Madagascar and Australia.
have shrubs and flowers which are, locally at
least, known as Compass plants" The com
pass plant OF the United States is the common
''rosin weed" of the western prairies, which has
the long leaves near the ground set in vertical
position In such way as TO always present the
edges to the north and south. This peculiar
propensity Of the rosin weed is attributed to
the fact that both the upper and lower surfaces
OF the leaves demand an equal share of light
something which can be said Of but few known
plants, the upper surfaces usually being much
more sensitive to both light and heat than the
lower. This demand for a share of
old Soils attention causes the leaves
to stand in the manner mentioned
above. The compass plant of Asia Minor,
known all along the eastern shores of the Meii.
terranean and as far east as Arabia and Persia.
Is mentioned in the Bible, where the prophet
refers to that senseless thing which is more
stable than man, inasmuch as it ALWAYS ponteth
in the one direction" IL is an annual shrub
resembling our wild or false indigo, but with ali
the branches arranged along its stem on the
north side. 1t IS of the greatest value to trav-
elers OF those regions, who use il with as much
assurance Of being carried Alright as does the
seaman his mariners compass constructed on
the latest scientific principles. The compass
plant OF the Tartars is not what would be called
a plant IN the strict sense of the word being a
low. creeping grass of no value whatever as a
feed for horses and only made use of by shen-
herds with large herds of sheep and goats From
the time when the first stalk pushed through
the ground OF all It's creeping propensties are
exercised in one direction to the north Baker
Hams and Laufosrrow all tell wonderful stories
how whole armies have escaped utter extinction
through some shrewd general dismOuntinU his
horse to strike his flint 1 order to kseai what
direction the little compass grass was Creeping
remountlng and leading off In the safest direc-
ton. The compass plant Of Madagascar ia a
fir trees and always on the east side Curious
scientists who have transplanted this wonderful
lichen in the great bota uical gardens of Eurone
say that it changes its position to the north side
of trees as soon as it becomes acclimated
Australia's compass plant is a double larkspur
north and blue on the south. AS a compass it
is perfectly reliable.