The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-07-20
TREASURES IN TREES.
Live Toads Bats, Human skeletons anu
other Queer Things are Founu'

In some strangely shaped fossil trees
accidentally dug out of astone quarry
were found treasured up the petrlhed-
looking bodies of reptiles, birds, bats,
and such small deer-which has thus
been honored by preservation IN mas
siVe mausoleums.
When cutting open the trunk of an
elm, live toad was found lying con-
cealed about three feet from the root.
1t skipped away very alertly, yet, we
are told no tree was more sound, nor
could any aperture be discovered
through which the little captive could
have penetrated. It is supposed the
spawn from which it originated must
have accidently been treasured up in
the tree from the first moment OF its
vegetation.
In like manner, while some men
were squaring the trunk of an oak
they had just felled, they suddenly
started back in astonishment on seeing
a hideous toad, about the size of
large pullet's egg, encrusted in the
tree, four inches from the bark, and
| fifteen feet from the root. Though
| manpled by the ak, the creature still
moved, but it appeared old, thin, and
/
examination revealed no entrance to
its prison house.
Similarly, no opening could be dis
covered through which an enormous
beetle came to be inclosed in solid
log of wood, which was discovered in
q ships hold in Portsmouth.
Some extraordinary finds have at
times been made within the trunks OF
| A f0r. irocf NO Jxyh ~
| sagaged in splitting timber for rail
posts, in wood in Scotland, discover
ed in the center of large wild cherry
tree living bat of bright scarlet
color, which he foolishly allowed to es,
cape, from superstitious fears that
/ it was a "being not of this world. u
The tree showed small cavity in the
center, where the bat was inclosed, but
it was perfectly sound and solid on
each side.
A natural curiosity turned up in 6
somewhat similar manner. This wa:
the nest and skeleton of bird, en-
bedded in piece of beechWood which
seemed to be quite sound all aroune
the cavity, but the timber being sawI
up, the nest, with the bony framework
of the bird sitting upon it, was found
The nest was partly built of mud, in ;
hollow probably formed through thu
Topping off of branch, the outside o
which became afterward grown over
, though it is difficult to imagine hov
bird could thus become imprisoned
| In the recesses of an old tree some
, body came across the apparently mum
mified body of a large gray cat. It al
peared to have been quite fiattened b
. some untoward accident, for, seem
, ingly, in its dying agonies, the poo
animal had driven its powerful eye
teeth quite through thick and soli
branch of wood.
At the telling of an ancient holloy
oak in a German forest, says 1Td-Bits
when the tree crashed to the ground ]
disclosed human skeleton in exec,
) lent preservation. From his Ion
boots, powder-fask and other article
/ found. he appeared to have been
/ hunter, and it was concluded that tn
| unfortunate man, in climbing tn
t tree in pursuit of some wounded bir
} or animal, had slipped into the hollo'
! trunk, had been unable to extricat
himself, and so had perished miserabl
t of starvation in his ready prepared GA
+ coffin.