The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-20
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

q Press and knickerhOcEer of Albany.
+ years ago.
/ one Of the most wonderful specimens. of
vegetable life known 70 the botanist is
B the life moss Of Jamaica. Barbados
and others OF the West Indian Islands.
saws the St Louis Republic. There are
several species OF tropical plants which
f have remarkable tenacity Of life, but the
life moss and the story Of it's vitality
are almost beyond helief-its powers 10
live under adverse circumstances being
certainly beyond that OF any other known
pidht. II appears 10 be absolutely indie
strucuble by any means EXCEPT i-nmer-
SION m boiling water OF the arpHcatiCu or
a red-hot ron 10 its roots and branching
vines. II may be cut up and divided into
innniteSlmiual particles and then the very
smallest shred viii throw out roots and
soon grow and form new branches and
buds Specimens Of this extraordinary
plant have been suspended in the ar ia
q cry not room; they have been placed IL
close alright dark boxes. without mois-
and fourished
The san Francisco Can describes q cave
OF bats, which is found in Caweah canyon
N lhe recesses Of the Sierra NeVadas
Inc cave is in the wall of the CANYON. not
Tar back from the water in the rainy sea
son, ana there is nothing about the annear-
ance of the opening to attract attention
during the day. But approach the place at
ABOUT dusk and black stream of shadowy
IOEms VIII be seen passing in and out of
| the opening, accom- panied BY the most re
| GUITAR odor in the world and a soft rust
ing sound The bats have been asleep all
/ day and are going in search of food To
/ enter the cave in the daytime is not d
dlfncult task, but is somewhat UNPLEASANT
Inc opening is large and man can enter
/ In an erect position. About ten feet in the
/ entrance makes turn and an inky black
! ness exists. Go a little farther so as 10 be
/ away from the air at the entrance, and a
/ most dlsagreeable odor strikes the nOstrils
/ and every few feet one treads upon the
| body of a bat. While the cave is in dark
/ ness a most profound silence exists
/ q
/ like a waterfall is heard. Thousands of
/ bats that have been asleep at once awake
/ ana commence to fly in circles about the
/ cavern, which can be seen to be very large
/ Round and round they 20, increasing in
/ speed every moment, and the odor of the
cave becomes more and more disagreea-
/ Bile. When this happens it is a wise thing
/ Tor the explorer to make his escape and
! postpone further investigation until night,
! at which time the cave is deserted. Even
! the dead bats on the floor will disappear,
having been eaten by the others as soon
/ as they awOke.
! Although man has harnessed electricity
/ TO do his bidding and draw his cars, as
! spread-eagle orators like to say. IL is still
1 the trick mule in the circus and does some
/ very shocking things. especially in wet
! weather. Inc rope by means of which
/ the conductor swings the trolley from the
7 'front.' 10 the back of the car at the end OF
/ each trip passes vertically down into the
/ back of the car where it can be handiiv
/ reached. 1t is a well known fact that
/ the water which runs off the trolley
a
/ ed with electricity. As it drips steadily
on the floor Of the car the woodwork of
! the latter becomes gradually saturated and
! a wet battery is formed, the circuit being
] complete from motor to trolley down the
rope to the car. Standing on the wet plat
I form the conductor himself may, and Of
ten docs become Slightly charged This
/ is Illustrated in a mild way and occa-
sionally quite strongly. The conductor in
making change will give the passenger
] Il nttle tnge and when a car has been
/ out IN the rain for some hours the pas
sengers arm has been seen to jerk sharply
/ back in taking the coin from the conduc-
! tor. just as the students hand is shocked
/ when trying to remove the coin from a yes
I sci OF electricity charged water So
/ charged do electric cars become occasion
I any, particularly when the wood is very
1 dry and open, so that the water collects
/ rapidly, that they have 10 be housed I'M
/ til the water can be drawn off and insu-
/ lation restored A passenger may get a
/ faint shock in wet weather the moment
/ he steps on the car. 1t often happens in
/ stormy weather that there are a series
/ of flashes to be seen whenever wires cross
| Ihls is due partly to bad insulation and
also, In a measure, TO the aid which the
| water, as a conductor affords for the col
/ lection OF current at points where the flow
/ OF water is uninterrupted. on the tracks
under the wheels a similar phenomenon
may be often observed, even in dry
4 weather. The dirt raises the car off the
rails, and the contact being thus de-
stroyed the current leaps across the in
terVening space and there is a minute
sctntillation of steel
In the sea there are plenty of spiders
4 says the Boston Transcript They are
found crawling upon seaweeds along shore
Iheir bodies are very small and their legs
/ long and thread-like. There is a species
Of arachnid that lives under water in
/ fresh ponds. 1t makes its home in an
| empty shell of a water snail closing the
/ opening with web of vanished silk to
keep the water out. Other aquatic spiders
spread silken hlaments under water To
entrap insects. In New Zealand there is
a black spider with red spot on its
stomach. which IS supposed to have bite
/ fatal to human beings. The same animal
| has similar reputation elsewhere. though
undeseryedly. 1t is found in this coun-
try. All spiders are venomous but none
repute above mentioned is afflicted with
| constitutional hydrophobia. 1t will go,
into tit If touched with water, though
other species will drink eagerly if drop
of that fluid is offered on a straw. 4
severe spider bite produces symptoms like
great hairy spiders. Some of them weigh
hdlt pound with spread of legs wide
enough to cover tea plate. Most of
ground, line it with silk and fit it with a
trap door so artfully made as to hinge
beVei edge and spring that it is almost i'm
possible 10 md the opening. In some
cases they actually plant seeds on the
dainty portal for the purpose OF conceal
ing 1t with growing plants. The mission
Of spiders in the world is doubtless to keen
down the flies, which would otherwise
swarm over the earth. Only the females
+ SPIN WtbHs lllN mares are ABOUT One-rWen-
tieth the size Of the females. the sole pur-
Tcse of their existence being that of re-
production Spiders are very fond of the
music of strinEed Instruments, because
to their ears il resembles the buzz!ng of
captive flies. Their greatest enemies are
wasps, which paralyze them by singing
them. Then the wasp plants the spider
in hole, lays an egg beside her and
covers her up; The young wasp grub. on
being Matched, feeds on the body of the
spider. On warm autumn DAY the air is
sometimes full of spiders webs. Certain
species of arachnids attach threads to the
ground and permit the breeze to blow
them away. Thus they remain for DAYS
suspended high in the air and miles away
from their anchorage. The arrival of /
moist spell of weather sometimes pro /
| duces a rain of spiders webs, causing
great establishment. Spiders are feeble /
creatures, their poison affording little pro-
lection against the attacks of insect foas /
Like human beings, they have unprotected
bodies, and no natural weapons worth /
mentioning. Their survival in creation is |
due to the exercise of superior inteIligence
Awarded