A museum exhibit to watch out for and the day the insects invaded Lisbane

ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY: Manuel Antonio Páyacas petted what he thought was a stuffed baby crocodile at the museum in Luanda, Angola yesterday. The head was stuffed with teeth - live ones!

The museum subsequently put out a statement warning visitors that all the animals in the museum were stuffed - with one exception. It also explained that the reptile was being kept in a pool in the museum for scientific purposes and would be protected from over curious visitors by a fence from then on. - 2 September 1964

RICH LEPER WOMAN'S ESCAPE

A wealthy Australian woman leper, who escaped from Peel Island, Lazaret, on July 26th, has surrendered to the police after her money had been exhausted. She declared that she had "a perfectly gorgeous time", including a visit to the Royal Show. The same woman escaped 10 years ago with a male leper, whom she married. They settled in Melbourne, where, they kept a café for two years before returning to the island, where the man died. - 18 August 1931

A MODERN DUEL

The two contestants and a spectator were injured in a cudgel versus pistol duel in Palermo, Sicily, yesterday. - 17 January 1950

DOG WINS HURLING MATCH

At the weekly meeting of the Clare County Board, Gaelic Athletic Association, a novel point arose in regard to the recent Clooney-

Crusheen hurling match, which Crusheen had won by a point. The Clooney club asked for a replay on the grounds that a ball which was going over the dead ball-line had been stopped by a dog - presumably a Crusheen supporter - and a goal was scored as a result. The County Board took it seriously enough to adjourn the question pending the referee's official report. A delegate humorously stated that beagles were being trained to follow the interests of their owners on the hurling field, and suggested that there was a possibility of the electric hare becoming obsolete. - 9 July 1931

INVASION BY 'HAILSTORM' OF INSECTS

Samples of flying insects, millions of which invaded houses in the Lisbane district, near Killinchy, Strangford Lough, yesterday, were sent to the Entomological Department of Queen's University, Belfast for identification.

Mr C Douglas Deane, curator of the Natural History Department of Belfast Museum, said that samples had also been sent to his department. "The insects I have examined are about quarter of an inch long, with thin legs and wings. They are of the crane fly type. There are many varieties of this insect and it will require close inspection by the scientists at Queen's to name the exact variety of fly. The insects definitely came from Lough Neagh, which is their breeding ground."

Lough Neagh is about 20 miles from Lisbane. Describing the invasion of Lisbane, Mrs Evelyn Martin said yesterday: "It was like a sudden hailstorm. We shut all the windows tightly. Any that managed to penetrate into the house we killed with DDT. Then we went outside and sprayed those on the windows. The windowsills and ground looked as if someone had emptied out pot after pot of tea-leaves." - 29 July 1956

MAN WHO BURIED 55,000 PEOPLE

Josef Zauner of Lins, Austria, is celebrating the completion of 40 years work in his profession - digging graves. He started as an assistant gravedigger in 1893, and "qualified" in 1906. He has been burying people since then, and estimates that he has put 55,000 people underground. Now he is retiring with a well-earned pension. - 19 January 1934

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times