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boys' department. 
Boys' ^Department 
TACTS IN NATURAL HISTORY. 
When I was in New Orleans last winter. I met 
with a most worthy old gentlemen, Judge Straw- 
bridge. I give his name, because there are a good 
many "^)ld boys'' about Philadelphia, that will like 
to hear of him ; and he invited me to go with him 
over to his place, across Lake Ponchartrain. 
Well, the Judge is very intelligent, and tells a 
great many vary interesting stories. Here is one of 
them : — " That tree you are looking at," said he, as 
I was looking at a famous old oak that he did not 
cut down when he built a house close by, "reminds 
me of a little anecdote. The first summer that I 
spent here, at Covington, I lived in a house a mile 
below. I was sitting one evening on the back 
gallery, watching the caterpillars crawling along 
the ground under an old oak like this, when my 
curiosity was excited to see one great fellow, about 
three inches long, going by at a most rapid rate, 
quite unaccountable. I got up directly, and went 
down to see whether he had got a locomotive in 
him, or what; when, behold, a great long-legged 
kind of wasp, that we have here, had mounted the 
worm a-straddle, as we would a horse, and was 
riding him to the shambles, intending, no doubt, to 
butcher him about sundown, for supper. It was 
so curious a sight, that I determined to watch the 
sequel, and see what the wasp would do with his 
wormship. But I missed it; for, after riding seve- 
ral yards, he passed under a small tree, and direct- 
ly I heard a rustling in the leaves overhead, and 
down dropped a lizard directly on the wasp and 
worm, and knocked the rider heels over head out 
of sight into the grass, and then gathered up the 
worm, and in a half minute after had him up the 
tree, eating him at his leisure, I suppose. This is 
the way with all nature — the strong rob the weak, 
which are often sent supperless to bed. I told the 
story to my family, and they laughed as though 
thcy\donbted, or disbelieved, the fact. This is a 
trait in human nature, too. Facts are often doubted, 
and fables believed. 
" Well, years after, my wife and I were sitting 
under this very tree, when along came another 
caterpillar and his rider. Now, then, let us watch 
this, and see what the rider will do with his horse, 
said I. 'Oh,' she exclaimed; 'but here comes the 
conqueror for the ' lion's share.' And sure 
enougnY'lilce a" hawk pouncing upon his prey, 
down came another lizard. Ah, well then, let us 
watch the battle, and see what the lizard will do 
with the spoil. But we did not ; for while the 
wasp and lizard were fighting for their prey, out 
came a toad from that very hole there at the root 
of the tree, and, unobserved by either of the com- 
batants, hastily gobbled up the worm and hopped 
back again to his hiding place, while the lizard was 
running arouud like something half-crossed, or 
mad, at the loss of his supper." 
Such was the story, and it interested me very 
much , and I hope it will all the boys who read it. 
If the snake had been there to catch the toad, and 
the owl to catch the snake, and the boy to catch 
the owl, how truly natural dispositions would have 
been illustrated. 
Here is another curious fact related by the 
Judge. " When I first came to New Orleans," 
said he, " the old Carondelet Canal was the only 
means of communication with the lake. Upon 
this, as well as upon the bayou St. John, into which 
the canal opened, was a great mass of some kind 
of water plant, a sort of vine, that so covered the 
water and clung to the bows of vessels as seriously 
to impede navigation. 
" Some time'afterwards, there came a Yankee to 
New Orleans, (I don't mean to say only one — 
their name is legion,) and he brought with him an- 
other 'water plant,' whether on speculation, or not, 
I don't know. But this was not a vine. It more 
nearly resembled a house leek than anything else. 
I forget what he called it. Well, he put it to grow 
in a water cask, and it multiplied and spread all 
over the top, and then it broke off in pieces and 
floated over and down the ditches and finally into 
the canal. The Frenchmen found and saved the 
Yankee innovation, but on it went spreading, in 
spite of curses, and in a few years it was all over 
the canal and down the bayou. In the mean time, 
where was the old pest of the canal ? Gone en- 
tirely. The Yankee innovator had rooted the old 
habitant out, and grew there in its_ stead. Nobody 
cared for this ; it was not in the way, and it made 
a very good shade for alligators and catfish. 
" After a time, I was walking along the canal, 
and behold, the Yankee water plant was not there. 
When, why, or how it had gone, none could tell, 
but it was gone." 
Back of the city, along the old ridge road, (land 
that is not absolutely under water,) there are some 
extensive commons. While passing down the 
Ponchartrain Railroad, the Judge called my attention 
to this, and then said : " a few years ago, this land 
was all covered with a perfect wilderness of bur- 
dock. It was a most decided nuisance. But little 
grass could grow, when all the ground was covered 
with these broad shading leaves. Horses and 
mules that run out at common, were a sight, with 
their tails and manes loaded and hair all matted 
together. What influence was brought to bear 
upon this plant, I know not, but it disappeared as 
suddenly and as mysteriously as the water plant — all 
gone — not a root to be found. What was the 
cause, who can tell ? Ah, well, we shall soon dis- 
appear, too, and it will only he a few old grey 
heads, like you and me, that will remember that we 
were once here." 
Now, boys, if you like these anecdotes, I have 
more of them yet to give you some day. Solon. 
Sparta, Geo., April 8lh, 1849. 
An Experiment. — Early in the morning, when 
there is likely to be a hot, sunny day, make a mark 
on a fence or wall, level with the top of a shoot of 
a hop or grape vine. Although the sun shine hotly 
on it during the day, it will not increase. But ob- 
serve it again early the next morning, and you will 
find that it will have grown from half of an inch 
to two inches. 
Value of Education. — If a man empties his 
purse into his head, no one can take it from him. — 
Dr. Franklin. 
