198 



THE MUSEUM 



and finished on a hone; also that the 

 Mexican barbers threw away their ob- 

 sidian flakes as soon as they were dull, 

 and made use of new ones Clavigero 

 relates, that so skilful were the Mexi- 

 cans in the manufacture of obsidian 

 knives, a single workman could prod- 

 uce a hundred per hour. 



At our visit this year we found the 

 rocky floor of the great tunnel (Haile's 

 Cavern) covered with a muddy deposit 

 left by the rush of waters in the spring, 

 This slimy deposit made any attempt 

 at exploration very disagreable. Last 

 year the floor of the cavern was per- 

 fectly dry, yet the level of the pool 

 of standing water was the same then 

 as now. The Clarksville cave we 

 found to be dry save for the regular 

 water-courses; the tinkling stream, 

 and the dark body of water lying re- 

 mote in the cavern which Mr. Verp- 

 lanck Colvin calls The Styx. Far in 

 the depths of this cavern we noticed a 

 couple of little plants growing alone in 

 the darkness. Probably grown from 

 seeds washed in by the torrents that 

 course through these gloomy halls dur- 

 ing the season of the melting snows, 

 when the mountain water-courses and 

 ravines are all flooded. 



The growth was perfectly white as 

 is the case in a darkened cellar, and 

 probably when the liny plant has ex- 

 hausted whatever of nourishment is 

 contained in store in the seed from 

 which it j^erminated it will perish. 



By the roadside at the foot of the 

 mountain slope we noticed a few ripe 

 strawberries. For this vicinity and 

 this date (May 26th) this is very early. 



The next time Frank gets up in the 

 night to put a smudge of green leaves 

 on the camp fire, he will take care 

 that he does not stumble onto a growth 

 of Rhus tox., its qualities as a smoke 

 produder are no doubt as good as any 

 other green plant, but it leaves a very 

 tangible remembrance of contact. 

 About every third person one meets 

 will claim for himself complete im- 

 munity from the poisonous effects of 

 ivy, no matter how much they may 

 dabble amongst it, yet if these persons 

 would consent to perform the easy ex- 

 periment of crushing a leaf or green 

 stem of the plant, on the back of their 

 hand, the proportion of those exempt 

 from the virulence of the poison would 

 likely be found but small. 



Below the Helderberg precipices on 

 the debris covered slopes the three- 

 leafed ivy finds a congenial home, es- 

 pecially in such places where by reas- 

 on of some great rock-fall or slide, the 

 forest has been destroyed. 



PAT KOONEY'S knife. 



(in one act ) 

 Dramatis Fcrsoiue. 



A(;kitan, llie autiqiiaiy. 

 (lEKMANlcus, a uiijwer by IIih roailside. 

 Scene — The Great KayaderD.^seia.s Pau-ut. 

 TiME-Aug. -20, 1885, 8 a. 111. 



Agritan — "Good morning sir. A 

 good mower carries a sharp scythe. 

 From the stub of your swKtn I take it 

 that you are no slouch with the bill- 

 hook. " 



Gekmanicus — "Guten morgen; wie 

 f,'aites." 



Agri. — "By the way; when at work 

 in the fields do you find many flint ar- 

 row-heads or other stone objects such 

 as the Indians used.'" 



