The Baby Elephant takes a Bath.
It is customary with traveling menageries in hot weather when convenient to a river to allow the elephants to take a bath. The London Circus passed through Woonsocket, R. I., the other day, when the keeper let loose all the elephants, including "Hebe" and her baby, for the above purpose. The mother and her offspring were permitted to approach a river for the first time since the baby was born, and they were, therefore, watched with great interest by their keeper. The mother cautiously approached the Blackstone River, which flows past the circus grounds, and waded in a short distance, carefully feeling her way; she then encouraged the baby to follow her, which the obedient little fellow did. When far enough in the mother caught the baby between her fore legs, and then lay down in the water and rolled over, giving the baby the first bath. The mother then felt perfectly satisfied with her job, and rising up approached the bank, bringing the little one with her. On reaching terra firma she drove the younger before her, and would not allow it to approach the water again, though it showed a disposition to do so.
PHYLLIRHOE BUCEPHALA.
This little animal belongs to the family of snails, class Heteropoda, is about an inch long, and is devoid of any shell or covering whatever. It is flat, and so absolutely transparent that a person can read through its body. It is provided with a pair of feelers. The little animal is very luminous if placed in fresh water or disturbed, but this phenomenon is most beautiful when an ammonia solution is poured over the animal. It will shine with a vivid blue light, which extinguishes with life. But even after death the nerve cells, which are directly below the skin and produce the light, can be irritated sufficiently to become luminous. It is a singular fact that electricity has no effect upon these nerve cells.
