The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-10
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


The mirage is as common in some parts of
America as on the African deserts. In some
districts of Western Kansas and Eastern
Colorado the traveller will behold at appar-
emily no great distance, groves of trees and
what seem to be houses and churches In the
plains about 100 miles east of Denver, a party
Of cowboys were once thunderStruck at OBJ
serving off to the west the Semblance of
large city, lying apparently on the horizon.
They could see blocks of buildings, churches
and other structures so clearly as to render
them almost willing to believe that a city had
sprung up where they well knew no city ex-
listed. The image grew palmer, and finally
one or two of their number, who had been in
Denver, recognized the great hotel that towers
above the rest of the city, and the mystery
vanished. The spectacle that gave them
such surprise was a mirage Of a city more
than 100 miles distant.
1t is said that in learned circles across the
water the finding of the gospel of Peter by the
well-known arch8ologist Bourian in the
tomb of an old Egyptian monk is considered
as OF far more importance to biblical science
than the discovery of the alleged Syrian copy
of the gospels in the monastery of Mount
Signal. There seems to be little doubt now
that the Syrian gospels is nothing more than
an early copy of the well-known Peschito
translation, and has no critical value what
ever The gospel of Peter found by Bourian
Is the only known copy of the work in exist
enCe, but that it was well known in early
times is proved by the fact that it is quoted
by Justin Martyr. The copy found is consid-
cred authentic. 1t is thought to date at least
from the END OF the tlrst century, and Is re-
garded with great interest. This gospel varies
In some uninportant particulars from the
canonlcal books, approaching most nearly to
the gospel OF st. Mark. 1t relates that at the
crucihxfOn only the hands were nailed, and
says that both the Roman soldiers and the
elders Of the Jews witnessed the resurrection
OF Christ, and that the elders persuaded PLATE
to command the soldiers to deny it.
II IL
Plants, is of opinion that many plants may
be said to have sight, and the Investigations
of other famed botanists have confirmed him.
An Indian bOtanist relates the following re-
markable incident: Il was sitting in the We
randa with one foot against a large pillar
near to which grows large kind of convolVu-
luS Its tendrilS were leaning over the We
randa and to my surprise l noticed that they
were vlSibly turning toward my leg. 1 re-
NAMED in that position, and in less than
an hour the tendrils had laid themselves over
my leg. This was in the early morning and
when al breakfast told my wife of this dis
cOvery We determined to make further exper-
inents. When we went out into the veranda
the tendrils had turned their
heads back to the railing in disgust. We got
a pole and leaned it against the pillar quite
twelve inches from the nearest spray of con-
yOlvuluS. In ten minutes they began to curve
themselves in that direction. and acted ex-
actly as you might fancy very slow snake
would act if he wanted to reach ANYTHING
The upper tendrils bent down and the side
ones curved themselves till they touched the
pole. and in few hours wore twisted right
around it. 1t was on the side away from the
light. and excepting the faculty of sight can
Imagine no other means by which the ten
drills could be aware that the pole had been
placed there. They had to turn away from
the light to meet it, and they set themselves
viSibly toward it within few minutes of the
pole being placed there
A whales throat is so small youc could choke
him with your fist, and he feeds on the
smallest things in the sea, obtained by suck
ing the water in and Straining il through
WhalehOnc, which hangs in thick clusters
from the roof of his mouth like festoons Of
moss IN cypress swamp, says Forest and
stream. The rinsed water is gotten rid of by
what IS called blowing or "spOuting.
LObsters are green until cooked when thew
turn red. Ditto little crabs in oysters. which
are seldom seen until after the stew. Every
oyster has mouth, a heart. a liver a
stomach, besides many curously devised in
teStnes and other organs such as would be
handy tOu living, moving, intelligent creature.
> he mouth is at the end of the shell nearest
the hinge, Dolrhtn5 are reported as
fond Of playing about ships, The true dol
phin is fish about five feet long and is cele-
brated for his surprising changes in color
when dying. he steamer AlbatrOSS obtained
many specimens of deep sea fish off the coast
OF California. They were soft of body and
covered with phOSphOreScCnt spots to enable
them to sec in the dark. The pilot fish is n
common fish for ocean travellers to see as il
often accompanies ships. and as sharks also
do this it is said to be a pilot for them. The
drumt1sh is so called from it's power to make
peculiar drumming or grunting sound under
water. The flying gurnGrd obtains in the
Indian seas. It's pectOral fms are so large
that in Springing out Of the water to escape
an enemy the wide, quivering fins are able to
sustain it in the air for a limited period
On leaving the sacristy of the Escurial we
descend into the royal tomb or pantheon, for
such is the term given by the Catholic Span
iards to Christian burial place saysa writer
in Harper's Magazine. The vault placed ex-
aCtly beneath the high altar of the church is
an octagon room SO feet in diameter and 80
feet high. You descend into it by means of a
staircase whose walls are lined with green
and yellow polished jasper. The walls Of the
pantheon are Of polished marble porphyrv
and jasper, richly ornamented with gilt
bronze capitals, bases and angels, the whole
executed by Italian artists after the death
OF Philip IL AS an inscription informs
US, the founder of the Escurial built only
simple vault. Philip Ill. began the present
gorgeous structure in 1917. Philip " com
pleted it and moved in the royal bodies on
March II, 1854 after Diego de Velasuuez had
with his own hands, liked in its place the
bronze crucifix by Pedro Tacca which he had
brought back from Italy. The octagon walls
contain twenty-siX inches on shelves on each
of which is gray marble sarcophagus or urn
of classical shape. On the left are the kings.
and on the right the mothers of kings, from
Charles " down to our own times In 1654
Philip ". opened the urn containing the re-
mains of Charles ". and after looking awhile
at the mummihed body, he said, laconically.
TO Luis de Haro: Don Luis cuerpo honrado."
To which the prime minister replied, .Si
senior muy honrado.n Charles II also
opened this august sarcophagus, which was
again opened by Ferdinand VII after the
French invasion, and once more in 1870 when
the aspect of the mummy was carefully repro-
duced by painter of Madrid, and photo
graphs of this picture now enable curious
tourists to carry away with them an authentic