Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-12-22


sea. The waves offer no resting place
for them. and they are forced to trust
entirely to their wings for safety. At
ter heavy storms of several days the
terms ard petrels have been found 1000
miles from the shore, weak and almost
dead from their exertions
Others have been discovered floating
On the water dead, the black and blue
patches on their bodies telling the ter
r1Dle story of strain and eXertion. They
fought bravely against the adverse ele-
ments, and only succumbed after Il long
battle. Incoming vessels have brought
solitary sea fowl that would light upon
the masts OF the ships when completely
exhausted after fighting the storms.
This welcome place of rest Is secured
despite all danger from its passengers
Floating spars and wrecks have been
the means of saving the lives of slch
lost birds. They would float on them
for hours or days, until they had be
come thoroughly rested from their Ia
bors, and then they would begin their
long journey toward some shore at the
first favorable opportunity. Their in
stinct ut such times is umerring, and
they generally make for the nearest
point of land, although it may be hun
dreds of miles away and they are COM
pletely turned around. 1t may be,
however, that they take their bearings
from the sun while they are floating
upon their temporary. restless buoys.
Nearly all of the sea birds like to
keen out to sea, and in the north Of
Ireland there is an old rhyme current,
which indicates that the gullS only ap-
proach the shore when driven In by
storm or by the warnings of a sea
gale. The couplet read:
"Sea gull. sea gull, sit on the sand,
It's never fine weather when you
come to land"
When the storm approaches, the long,
sharp whistling of the Curlews. the
wild cries Of the sea gulls and the
sharp, piercing screams of the terms an
nomce that danger is at hand. The
sea grows restless and choppy. An oc-
casiOnal puff of wind will moan across
the waters and force whitc-caps into
motion The birds then assemble along
the shore. some seeking for their food
among the rocks half a mile ont, white
others will run along the beach or go
to the inland marshes.
AS the fury of the storm increases ali
Of them will get in beyond the reach
of the wild waves. The heavy wind
makes flying a difficult art, and most OF
them trust to their legs They run
along the sand or hide in rocks. The
terms and grllls will occasionally ven
tura out over the waves TO fish for
food, but they soon find that the work
is unprotitabe.
When the storm has subsidized the
coasts are great objects of interest to
the sportsmen. Every species Of sea
fowl is to be found somewhere along
the beaches or inland marshes. They
! do not return to the wide SEA for day
or two after the storm has abated, and
| then they are driven there by the hun
| tpr'S gun.
! In the New York Sun few lays ago
| reference was made to a pair Of Indian
! 'Siamese twins" who are about 70 be
| exhibited all over the world and par
! ticuiarly n the Chicago fair. These
| wins are pretty girls. WHO have been
| taught to play several musical inStru-
ments to sing and even to dance. They
are Joined together as were the Siam
| csc twins. but the junction is OF bone
and not Of skin and flesh merely, rs
! was the case with the SiameSe twins
| This junction, too. Is four inches long
| and about four inches wide, resembling
! somewhat the form of a hump, and this
| keeps their chests and little stomachs
apart With this difference they are as
well formed as any other child. even
down to their nails. OF course, they
are forced to stand facing one another,
and their four little hands either rest
| on the point Of junction, or are placed
! on each others shoulders. They stand
rs if leaning on one another and walk
In a peculiar manner, the one advanc
| ing pushing the other backward, or
| both moving sideways, and, MS Il mat
| ter of course. locomOti0n Is very slow.
When they sit down their legs are
doubled under them in way suggest
| I've Of pain or discomfort. They eat
separately, but both feel hungry at the
same time, and when they lie down
both fall asleep together. They are
also apparently moved by the same
ideas. the one concluding a sentence
the other has begun. Radhika and
Dhudhika, for so they are called, are
so much alike In features that It IS
hardly possible to distinguish them
They were born in a village called NOa-
para in the Angul district, In Orissa,
and their parents had four children
before the twins were born, and one
since. None Of these, however, Is In
any way defective.
When 1t became known In the village,
that these children were born so joined
together. the villagers declared that
they were an incarnation Of devil, and
no one would 90 near them through
fear; they refused to tell the parents,
who were very poor, anything; nor
would anyone give any sort Of help.
The Tahsildar however, In spite Of
what the Brahmins said to deter him.
went TO their house md helDed them
In time to save their lives and suggest
ed to them that they might make money
nv exhibiting the children. This they
did. and ut the time their present man
acer got hold Of them they were ex-
hihiting the phenomena in the far IN
terror