THE DEVIL'S TREE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2236, 25 September 1889, Page 2

THE DEVIL'S TREE.

I have taken maoh Interest (says a correspondent) In the itudy of botany daring my sojourn (n Mexico, the Aon of whloh presents one of tbe rtohest flaldi for the scientist In tbe world, and hart wandered lome dlstanoe from town on several , occasions Inmyaoaroh for speelmeno. On one of theie expedition! I noticed ft dark objiot on one of the outlying spun of the Sierra Madre moon* tains, whloh objeot exolted n»y ourloalty 10 maoh that I examined It carefully through my field- glais. This revealed that the object wai a tree or ahiab of ■aoh an unusual appe»r»noo that I made ap my mind to visit tbe »pot, I rode to tho monntafn, the ildo of wbioh alop«d sufficiently for me to make my way on horaebaok to within s few rods of tht aammlt. Bat here I waa etopped by an abrupt rls?, bo steep that I despaired of reaching It even on foot. I went around it several times -seeking for some way to olimb up, but the jagged, beetling rooks afforded not the slightest foothold. On the top of the knob stands the tree I had seen. From the apofc on whioh I now atood I could see that it somewhat resembled m form the weeping- willow, but tbe long, drooping, whip-like limba were of a dark and apparently slimy appearanoe, and seemed possessed of a horrible life-like power of ooiliog and anooiling. Occasionally the whole tree would ac: m A WRITHING, SQUIRMING* MASS. My desire to Investigate this strange vegetable prodaot Increased on eaoh of the many expeditions I made to the apot, and at laat I saw a sight one day whloh made me believe I had oeitainly discovered an unheard-of thing. A bird whloh I had watohed olroling about for some time finally aettled on the top of the tree, when the branohea began to awaken, as It were, and to ourl upward* They twined and twisted like snakes about the bird, wbioh began to aoream, and drew It down' In their fearf al embrace until I lost sight of It. Horror-strlokea, I ae'z the neareat rook m en attempt to ollmb the knob. I had ao often tried m vain to do tbia that I waa not surprised when I fell baok, but the rook wbb loosened and fail alao. It narrowly missed me, but I sprang up unhurt, nnd aaw tbat the fallen rock had oavero, the flior of whloh had an upward left a ooneldorablo oavlty. I put my faoe to It and looked In. Something like a tendenoy, met my sight, and I felt a current of fresh air blowing on me, with a dry, earthy smell. Evidently there waa another opening somewhere, undoubtedly at the Bummit* Using my trowel, whioh I always carried on my botanlslng expeditions, I enlarged the hole, and then puihed my way through the passagn. When J had nearly reaohed tbe tap I looked cub oiutloualy to see if I should emerge within reaoh of that diabolical troe. But I fonnd It nowhere near the aparture, so 1 sprang out. I wag jast In time to Bee the flattened oaroass of a bird drop to the, grooud, whloh waa oovored with bonea and feather*.

I approaohod as closely at I dared and examined the tree. It was Io» In eiia, and not more than SO feet high, bat oovering a grenfc area, Its trunk vrai of prodigious thickness, knotted and ooaljr. From the top of this (rank, « few fefl from tbV ground, Hi ilimy brinohtf

ftonohing the ground with their tapering tops. Its appearanoe wdb that of a gtgantlo israotnia. rra prey On my venturing to lightly tonch one of the limbs, It oiosed upon my bond with such force that wnen I tore it loose the akin came with it. I descended then, and, closing the passage, returned home. I went back r>ext day, carrying half a dozen chickens with whc'i to ff ed the tree. The mop. Nt Ito s&i m the fowls a violent agititatlcn shook it« branches, which swayed to and fro with a e'nnonp, snaky jnotion. After devcurlng the fowls these branches, fully gorged dropped to their former position, and the tree giving no sign of animation, I dared approach it and take the limbs m my hind. They were covered with suckers, rwembl-ng the tentacles of an octopua. The blood of the fowte had been absorbed by these suckers, leaving euros :n stains on the dark surface. There was no foliage, of course, of any kind. Without speaking of ray discovery to anyone about, I wrote an acsount of (t to the world-f»mad botanist, Professor Wordenhaupt, of the University of Heidelberg. His reply states that my tree Is the Arbor Dlaboll, only two specimens of whloh have ever been known — one on a peak of the Hlmaltyas, and the other en the island of Sumatra. Mine is the third. Professor Wordenhaupt says that the Arbor Dlaboll and the plant known ai Venus fly-trap are the only known specimens, growing on the land, of thoie forms of life whloh partake of the nature of both the inlmil and vegetable kingdoms.