AS IT HAPPENS—

Feet Which Taste One is so much accustomed to take it for granted that every creature tastes with its mouth and hears with its ears that the discoveries of Professor von Frisch may come as a great surprise to the average man. This well-known Munich zoologist is reported to have discovered that many butterflies have their organs of taste in their feet. Thus has nature given them the chance to sample, and, if necessary, to reject things which might prove harmful if tasted at closer quarters. Crickets and grasshoppers are also said to have organs of hearing in different parts of their bodies, including the legs, while some insects, such as ants, have no auditory organs, but are compensated through the vibration on hairs on certain parts of their bodies which serve the same purpose.

"Howlers" by Artists Mr David Low's error in drawing 18 candles instead of 19 on his Armistice birthday cake recalls a similar error made by the great J. M. W. Turner in painting "Lancaster from the Aqueduct." But though Low sinned by omission Turner's fault was excess. He endowed Skerton Bridge, which unites Skerton with Lancaster, with one more arch than the engineer built. This was and always will be a sad blow to people who believe that the artist's eye is never at fault. Another famous error—this time by an artist in Mr Low's own line — was that made by Mr Max Beerbohm when caricaturing Mr Bernard Shaw many years ago. Max's eareicature showed Mr Shaw standing on his head, with his hands outstretched on the floor as partial support. The picture was entitled: "Mild surprise of one who, revisiting England after long absence, finds that the dear fellow has not moved." , But careful scruting on someone s part revealed that "Max" had drawn the outstretched hands the wrong way round. Informed of his howler, "Max" (like Mr Low) was unperturbed. He merely hinted that if the hands were shown in a position contrary to nature the picture was all the more likely to be a true bill against Mr Shaw. Still another example of this sort of mistake was afforded by the 1929 Royal Academy picture, "5.0.5.," by Mr Fred Roe. It showed a ship's wireless operator tapping out the distress signal, but the morse telegraph key was back to front. To non-experts it may seem a small error, but the artist, who had taken great care to get his technical detail right, was dumbfounded and declared it incredible that he should have made such a remarkable mistake. But he did.