The record-union., 1895-07-20
A NEW CAT.

ence by the magic hand of the Creator as
part OF the six days. work that made the
world, living specimens are found that
appear never to have strayed from this
original site. One of the most singular
creatures whose remains have been sent by
DR.. Abbott to the National Museum, is a
cat of a species that is absolutely new to
science. The naturalists at the National
Museum have thus far been unable to ac-
count for it. 1t does not seem to come In
anywhere in the elaborate cat schedules
which science has thus far arranged.
The cat which DR.. Abbott killed in the
strange land OF Cashmere, is much larger
than any cat hitherto known. Its legs are
very thin and it's body very long. The
body, as is shown by the skin, which ac-
companied the specimen. is of q whitish
tint, flecked with brown spots; except the
head. The head of this singular cat is
striped.
A NEW RAT, TOO.
| AS with cats, so with rats. Cashmere
has produced new specimen to puzzle
men of science. DR.. Abbott sent several
specimens of these Cashmere rats, which
are unlike anything hitherto known. 1t
has been suggested that the function of
| the peculiar cat above referred to was to
chase the queer, odd-shaped rat, which
| will soon be exhibited at the National
! Museum, and the naturalists do not
| doubt that there is some mysterious
connection between the two. If the
| strange rat had strayed from the plateau
| of Cashmere 10 the outside world, it is
| believed the Cat would have followed it.
| The civilized rat which we had previ-
ously known is no stranger to CASH
mere, and all known varieties of cats are
| also found there. In the rabbit family
there are several skins among the Abbott
collection now at Washington that are
| believed to come from species that is
absolutely new.
| Here then, are animals which science
| has known nothing about, found IN a
remote part of the Himalayas, where all
species were supposed to have originated,
and whence they spread 10 all parts OF
| the earth. These are species that never
spread, but which have for centuries on
centuries remained at this one small spot.
Is not this, 1t has been asked, proof oi
the statement that all varieties were
created at the Garden of Eden, which
| existed at this identical spot?
AN ANCIENT BOOK.
But even more curious and interesting
| than the natural history specimens in
this collection are those that relate to the
people of this strange land. who know
nothing of the world, who actually live
! in the clouds i'll miniature world OF
! their own, and who have O. rude civiliZa-
| ton that was old when the pyramids
were built in Egypt. Among the most
| valuable of these is d sacred book Oh
| Bible, written in q strange tongue, which
an antiquarian and scholar will now SET
| about to decipher.
| The age of this book is unknown, but
| coming from people whose manners
and customs have never changed, for
| whom time has not existed, it is supposed
to antedate all written records. 1t is
asked whether this book may not tell the
! story of creation, as people living upon
the site OF that mighty event handed ii
down from generation to generation.
MAY TELL ADAMS STORY.
| May not here at last be- an authentic
story of the tragedy OF the Garden oil
| Eden. more detailed more specific, more
instinct with convincing proofs OF truth
/ than that which saw the light perhaps
! thousands OF years later?
This book, to whose translation many
are now looking for a solution of these
! problems, consists simply of two narrow
| boards, between which are laid about one
hundred narrow, loose leaves. On these
leaves are inscribed mysterious records
of religion about which nothing is
/ known. The boards are about two feet
| long aud six inches wide, and the strange
"book'' of primitive shape max es bulk y
! volume.
Other curiosities of religious nature
which enter into the Abbott collection
| are pray er- wheels and ouriously carved
! grayish stones, which are found on tile
| tablelands in heaps. The pray wheels
| carry the prayers of these people round
and round, being sometimes driven by
water, at other times by the wind. and
each revolution is supposed to- register
! the prayer for their ultimate benefit.
I Several hideous masks made of clay
Il
| bright blue and ornamented with gold
patches. Among the implements sent
/ by DIR. Abbott is one for digging, made OF
! a goats horn. There is also Il queer pipe,
made from a gourd, and an old teapot OF
! silver and copper. a rare animal, whose
remains have been sent by DR.. a bbott, is
! the owls poll, named after Marco Polo,
| the great traveller, not a single specimen
/ of which had previously existed in this
country. DR.. Abbott sent three perfect
skins and four perfect heads of this ami
! NAL.
Hundreds of rare birds are in the coll
| lection, among them a purple finch OF
which there are two specimens i'll the
| British Museum, but none IN this coun-
| try. There are also sun birds of every
! hue, some of them no larger than an
acorn. All of these were dried and Ia
beled by DR.. Abbott.
| VERITABLE PARADISE.
| The natives of this country inhabit its
various climates, as is shown by fur-caps
in the collection, as well as by thin
| fibrous garments for the hot valley. Ono
curiosity is tiny buckle clasp of
wrought brass, relic OF the period of the
world before history began. Another odd
thing is a prehistoric pair Of stockings,
made without any heel and running
straight from top to toe.
The people here lead q simple pastoral
life Identical with that described in bib
lical literature. preserving every patri-
archal characteristic untouched by mod
ern civilization. They are known to be
among the oldest people on earth, and
their country is veritable paradise, with
every delightful feature ascribed to the
Garden of Eden. The most ancient maps
extant placed the Garden Of Eden at this
spot.
geographically, the country where
DIR. Abbott made this collection, just now
being arranged and catalogued in the
National Museum at Washington, an
swers every description of the Garden of
Eden, which biblical scholars have also
agreed was here located. The plateau
known as the ''Roof of the World" is the
highest table land on earth, and is the
natural watershed for Asia.
DR.. Abbott is about 30 years of age, and
had previously made extensive explora-
tions in Africa.-World.