Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-06-13
QUAINT AND CURIOUS.

QUAINT AND CURIOUS.
The most remarkable photographs OF
lightning on record have been made by
a Hamburger named Walter. They
show that a fash lasting $4,000 Of a
second is preceded by at least five small
Ter flashes separated by 100000 OF
second.
The street beggars in Barcelona have
entered into a solemn covenant to
withdraw from circulation all the two
centime pieces which they receive from
the charitable public. so as to compel
their benefactors TO give them the coin
next in value-yiz, five confines.
The flying frog is found in Borneo.
He uses an expansive membrane on
each of his feet in sailing from tree TO
tree. The webs enable him TO do this
in the same way as the wings OF our
modern flying machines enable their
inventors to remain for time in the
air.
The best designed flying machines
were the pterodactyls, the huge flying
reptiles of the Cretaceous period. which
had wings 40 meters long. but small
narrow bodies and bones much lighter
than those OF the birds of today. Theft
fight must have been as easy as that CT
the butterfly.
One of the latest sights in Paris is the
feat performed by Dane named Bap-
t;ste. The human family have gener-
ally thought it prudent TO leave walk
ing head downward TO flies and other
insects fitted for it by nature, but Bap-
tiste seems to treat it as quite light
matter. He straps a small pad to the
top OF his head. then. standing on his
hands. he let's himself down on to his
head. when he proceeds to get over the
ground by a series of short. jerky
jumps While in this position the
man is able to perform several OF the
everyday acts of life with apparent
ease.
no means uncommon features OF the
Boer war. There was exhibited some
time ago in the museum OF the Royal
United Service Institution one OF Queen
victorias chocolate boxes. in the lid
of which is still deeply imbedded
Mauser bullet. To that same collection
there has just been added an even more
l. L. &c piO
arctic holder case, which was struck
by a bullet at distance OF 1900 yards
VILE 1t was in the pocket OF a captain
of the Imperial Yeomanry. The Curl
ous part about it is that the officer was
not aware until afterward that he had
been struck. although the bullet also
pierced the sovereign purse and Gig
arctic case which he was carrying in
the same pocket
In the Carpintsria valley, a few miles
from the city of Santa Barbara. Cal,
there is a mammoth grapevine. 1t was
planted in 1912 by Joaquin Lugo do
Ayala. and has therefore just complet-
cd its tnree-score years. The first cleo
ton in Santa Barbara county under
American rule was held beneath its
ample shade This latest candidate for
the worlds record is double from the
surface of the ground up; thetwo parts
are knit together in a David and Jona-
than-lilIe embrace to height of about
FIVE feet seven inches, where they sep
arate into huge branches. the largest
having a circumference of 3 fest. Six
inches above the ground the vine meas
ures feet and 1-2 inches in circum-
ference and it covers an area of lis
square (the whole back yard, sixty
posts supporting the frame work. The
owner says that. were provisions made.
ii would spread over a greater surface.
but it is pruned every year. Fabulous
tales are told of the grapes this vine
produces. That II did actually yield
ten tons in a recent season seems to be
authentic.
The greatest pumping plant in the
world Is one which draws 5000 600