ABBOTTS OPERA HOUSE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9712, 7 January 1895, Page 5

ABBOTTS OPERA HOUSE.

"THE NEW BOY" TO-NIGHT. This evening Messrs. Williamson and Musgrove's clever and versatile "New Boy" company will make their farewell appearance in Auckland. For the occasion, by special request, the management have decided to revive Arthur Law's wonderfully successful play "The New Boy," which proved so popular during the earlier nights of the season. "The New Boy" is undoubtedly the funniest and brightest example of modern comedy which has ever been presented to the Auckland public, and its reproduction this evening should be hailed with satisfaction by all true lovers of healthy and laughable comedy. Incidental to the second act, Miss Edith Housley will sing "The Little Alabama Coon," which made such a hib when sung during the run of "The New Boy." As the company leave for Napier to morrow, bo-night must positively be the last opportunity of witnessing " The New Boy."

lb appears thab mails, those pests of gardeners, may lira to an indefinite time. Nob long since the Smithsonian Institution hit upon something very extraordinary in regard to these creatures, to the following effect:—Snails may be slow, bub they hold the record over all other animals for prolonged vitality under adverse conditions. Stories of toads dug out of rocks, in which they have been imprisoned for ages, are apocryphal bub recent discovery has established the credit of this humble mollusc as number one in tenacity of life. Only the other day a specimen from an island off the coast of California, inclosed in a drawer with parb of the mollusoan collection was found to be alive. It had had no food or water for more than six years. When placed in a box with moisb earth it protruded its foob and began to move about, and seemed to be as well as ever. Some time ago a few snails of a different species, gathered in Mexico, reached the Smithsonian Institution and were placed in a box. They remained undisturbed for two years and three months, ab the end of which time they were pub into a glass jar with some chickweed and a small quantity of tepid water. Pretty soon they waked up and appeared quite active.

There is a good illustration of " What in a name?" in what is now popularly known as the " Goose Flower." So long as this plant was called by its botanical name Aristatoshia gigas sturtevanti, the Chicago people took no heed bo ib, bub when the reporter of a daily paper called ib_ the " goose flower," crowds went bo see ib, in such numbers, in fact, that special precautions had to be taken to keep order. "Speedy cash" sale of furniture at "The People's" furnishing warehouse ; 20 to 50 per cent. redu/**uui3 to rMuce stock for three weeks.