Show puny creatures that have held up trains A train was traveling on the morelos railway of mexico when the driver suddenly saw a red light ahead and pulled up in a hurry before he be could find out what the trouble was another train came tip behind and ran into his killing three passengers the red light was just in an ordinary signal lantern on which had settled a swarm of cochineal ln in sects the light shining through their tiny bodies caused the signal to appear a vivid crimson lions have held up railway traffic in east africa and elephants have done the same in burma but you can hardly imagine a hedgehog as capable of such an net act yet near sandbach in cheshire a hedgehog held up all traffic for nearly an hour the unfortunate little beast crept be tween the points and the side rall and was trapped when the points were moved thus preventing them from closing properly still more amazing was the exploit of a beetle which ty by crawl ing into the signaling apparatus at hounslow upset the contact and caused all signals to be set acdan ats danger it was a quarter of an hour before the source of the trouble was waa discovered london answers |