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Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 138, 7 March 1929, Page 3

It is surprising how news, right or wrong, travels. By the latest English mail, Mr. R. W. Hall, who stood for Labour in Dunedin South at the last election, received a letter containing two newspaper cuttings (states the “Star ). Both cuttings were dated January 16. and one was from the Shields “Daily News” and the other from the Auckland “County Chronicle.” The cuttings stated that Mr. Hall had been elected, and each included a short notice regarding the life of Mr, Hall who was born at Shildon, England. The news published in the English newspapers had evidently been sent Home from New Zealand before the official count.

Lovers of bird life who stay at Te Kitcroa,” Waimate. are greatly interested in the work of the proprietor. Mr. IV. Napier, in taming the native■ moki, or bell bird (says the “Advertiser ). There are hundreds of these birds in the bush which surrounds the house, and, as a photograph shows, they have become very tame. Mr. Napier commenced by placing a dummy woman in a chair, in the open, with two small cups of diluted honey at the ends of the arms of the chair, the moki. it may be explained, being very fond of honey. In due course the dummy gave place to living persons, and the niokis apparently failed to distinguish the difference. In the photograph mentioned a little girl is shown seated; in the chair, and there is a moki on each arm close to the cups containing the honey. Many or the niokis are so tame that they win alight on the head or hands of people sitting in the gardens, and every precaution is taken not to frighten the pretty, confiding birds. Cups of diluted honey are placed in many parts of the grounds, and n good deal of time must be occupied in keeping them filled.

H.M.S. Diomede had some anti-air-craft practice the other morning (reports the “Lyttelton Times”). She'trained her guns to the stunting Glos? . ter Grebe piloted by Captain Findlay, which flew over Lyttelton and its < harbour at about 10 a.m. The ’plane dived as if to project a torpedo into the water in the direction of the warship, climbed steeply, circled, and dived again, and all the time the men of the Diomede were busy in setting the guns’ sights to bring down the elusive “enemy” 'plane. With a final swoop of confidence at having accounted for the warship, the Gloster Grebe made another circle and then sped back over the hilltops to the Wigram Aerodrome, where, no doubt, the list of “casualties” was reported with due solemnity. When friendly warships are at Lvttelton it is the custom for an aeroplane to be despatched to the port to give the men a chance to train their guns on the machine for anti-aircraft practice.