From: george.kincaid@worldnet.att.net   
      
   I got eagle claw out of the National Park Service book I bought on the trip.   
   I don't know if that's right after all this time. The doctor asked me what   
   got me. I pointed to a picture in the book that somebody had labeled eagle   
   claw. I thought about the fish hook company, too! That I do remember! :)   
   "Rare Bird"  wrote in message   
   news:42626e56@nntp.zianet.com...   
   > In article <4cKdnQJVLt0XkMLfRVn-oQ@texas.net>,   
   > firstinitiallastname@texas.net   
   > says...   
   >   
   >>in South Texas where most of what grows will hurt you. They   
   >>can also save your clothes and legs when a hot iron goes astray or the   
   >>castrating knife slips.   
   >   
   > Chaps come in handy just about anywhere a wrangler   
   > works.   
   >   
   > Here in New Mexico, one of the wickedest   
   > plants is the "jumping cactus" or "chollo." It's   
   > called that because the entire joint will break   
   > free when even lightly brushed up against. It   
   > seems to literally "jump" and attach itself to   
   > anything that comes near. Cattle quickly   
   > learn to stay clear and people learn rather   
   > quickly after an encounter or two! But mesquite   
   > is common to New Mexico as well as the rest of   
   > the more southerly Chihuahuan desert regions,   
   > and mesquite thorns can easily puncture a tire,   
   > as I and many other off-roaders have discovered.   
   > Imagine what they can do to a wrangler not wearing   
   > chaps!   
   >   
   > Incidentally, I'd never heard of "eagle claw" used   
   > to describe the barrel cactus I've always known   
   > as "fish hook cactus." I don't know if it's true,   
   > but suspect it is, that the Indians used the fish   
   > hook shaped thorns for catching fish. I'm sure it   
   > could be done, given the very stiff nature of the   
   > thorns on the larger varieties of the cactus.   
   >   
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)