Jasper Banner, Volume 2, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 January 1856 — Curious Plant [ARTICLE]

Curious Plant

Almost every body bas heard of the wonderful walking leaves of Australia. For a long time after the ; discovery of that Island, many peol pie really believed that the leaves of | a certain tree which flourishes there could walk upon the ground The | story arose in this way: I Some English sailors landed upon , the coast one day, and after funning about until they were tired, they eat down under a tree to rest themselvs. A pnff of wind came along, and blew off a shower of leaves, which, after turning over and over in the air, as leaves generally do, finally rested upon the ground. As it was midsummer, jmd everything appeared 'quite gTeenTThe crfcumd’tance puzi zled the sailors considerably. But their surprise was much greater, as you may well suppose, when after a short time, they saw the leaves cjavvling along the ground towardsthe trunk of the trees, They ran at once to the vessel, without stopping to examine into the matter at all,and set sail away from the land where everything seemed to be bewitched 7 One of the men said “he expected | every moment to see the trees set to dance a jig.” Subsequent explorations of Australia have taught U 3 that these walking loaves are insects. They live on the trees. Their bodies thin and flat, their wings forming leaf-like organs. When they ) are disturbed, their legs are folded away under their bodies, leaving the shape exactly like a leaf, with its stem and all complete. They orre of a bright green color in the .Summer, out they gradually change in the fall,l ■with the leaves, to the brown of frost- 1 bitten vegetation. When shaken | from the tree, they lie for a few minutes upon the ground, as though, they j were dead, but presently they begin | to crawl along towards the tree,which they ascend again. They rarely use their wings, although they are ‘ pretty well supplied in this respect. Another eccentric production of nature, which we find mentioned in„ Milner's Crimea, is the “Steppe Witch:” ] This curious plant,.which grows; in the Crimea, is in that country the theme of many a tale aud ballad of j childhood. The plant rises to the i height of three Feet, and ramifies con- ] siderably upwards, so a? to form a ! thick round bush, bearing pretty lit- ! tie fltlwers. When sapless and withered in autumn, the main stalk’i?

■> ■ ***■’,* 1 Wfff* —TT!* -r - broken cl hc to tin- g. oanl by , first night wind that rireMhe round- ■ rd top is carried rolling, hopping and ’ skipping ever the plain iinafcr &Atrolof thebreze. Other fiinalhrifth ered planta become attached, to the i mass, and it generally forms a huge j misshapen ball; while several being driven together, adhere like eqormot»s burrs, and have Witchery in their appearance, as they go dane ‘lng and bounding before the gafc.— 'Hundreds of lhes objects u>oy.'be 1 seen scouring die steppeaaftbe same time, and may be easily mistaken at 1 a distance for hunters and wild herds. I Heavy rains put an end to the' ca- ' rear of the witches; or the Black Sen .into which they arc blown wmiwily arrests their conrse. , .