Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1899-02-01
THE TARTARlAtS LAMB.
A Strange Plant that Closely Rcsern-
hlcs an Aninlal.

bics am Aninial.
Among the strange stories to be found
in the narratives of early travellers.
few are stranger than that of the veg
etable lamb of Tartary. This story. as
believed by the reading public, and
even by the naturalists of two cen-
turtles ago, Is 50 marvellous, and so OBJ
vlously absurd that we wonder how the
most creduous could have believed Ii
to be true.
The story Is that in an elevated and
cultivated salt plain OF great extent.
west of the river Volga. there may be
found a creature half-animal. half
plant, to which the natives give the
name of barometz. meaning little
lamb" TO obtain it, the Tartars SOW
in the ground n seed like that OF d
melon, from which, in due time. rises
the strange plant, having the figure OF
lamb. with the feet, the hoofs. the
ears, and the whole head, except the
horns. OF that animal, distinctly
formed.
1t grows on stalk about three feet
In height. being. according to one YER
sion, rooted 10 the ground by Its four
feet, while another account raises the
whole lamb, feet and all, from the
ground on single stem, on which it Is
able to turn, and also to bow itself
downwards to the herbs on which 1t
feeds. 1t lives as long rs there is grass
or herbage around II. but when 1t has
consumed all within It's reach 1t dies.
and wthers away. Its skin Is covered
with n very white down, as fine as silk.
and is greatly priced by the Tartars,
who pull 1t Off, and wear 1t as II cover
for the head.
Inside, 1t Is composed of flesh and
bones. and when wounded 1t gives out
a liquid resembling blood. Wolves are
said to be the only animals that VIII
eat 1t, and they are very fond of 1t.
Specimens of this remarkable produc-
ton We're looked upon as the rarest
treasures in the collections of the curl
Gus in days gone by. Two different
specimens have been described IN the
philosophical Transactions" and a
third has It's portrait given in an en-
craving III Darwin's "Flower Garden
and Its history told in the hord verse
Of that work.
The lamb is a natural production,
greatly helped, In the development OF
| the particulars in which 1t most resem-
bles that creature, by the ingenuity OF
the natives. The body is portion Of
the creeping stem of species of fern
which generally grows as erect as
tree. This stem Is densely covered with
beautiful, jointed silky hairs, Of a rich
golden color
On the surface next to the ground
few roots are given off, while the leaves
or fronds as they are called In ferns
spring from the upper surface. The
] fronds reach a height Of twelve or four
teen feet, and have long bare stalk
before the leaf is spread out. The Tar
tar takes suitable part of this creep
Ing stem for body, deprives it of the
roots, and OF all the leaf stalks except
! four, which are intended to be the legs,
two short ones for the ears, and
stump for the tail. and then, turning 1t
upside down, trims the stem, and so
produces this marvel of the early ey-
plorers. The fern, known to botansts
as the cibOtium barOmetZ, Is native
of Eastern Asia; 1t has been introduced
into our conseryatories, where 1t -four
ishes, producing, after few years
growth, good specimens of the 'lamb."
The silky hairs of this fern form a
! fayorite remedy among the Chinese for
checking the flow of blood by applying
them to wound, in the same way as
| felt or cobwebs are used by some peo-
| pie In this country. The more fibrous
and elastic hairs of several species of
the same group, natives of the Sand
wich Islands, are largely exported from
these islands to California and Austria
liza for stuffing cushions and for similar
purposes Philadelphia Times.