A Talking Canary

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7847, 8 July 1911, Page 13

A Talking Canary

One of the exhibits at the National Cage Bird show recently held at the Crystal Palace is a canary which can sing, talk and -whistle. Her Majesty Queen Alexandra was in possession some years ago of a canary that talked, but this is the first time on record that a canary "with such accomplishments has been exhibited in a bird show. The canary is tho property of Mrs Ives of Thunuersley, Essex, and among its favourite phrases are: "Joey, you are a prettyboy," "Kiss your mistress," "My dear boy,” and "lou are a dear beauty.” # * * Temper and Nerves At tho Nursing and Midwifery Conference in London, Dr Edwin Ash dealt with tho subject of the care of the nerves. He said that unhealthy nervous irritability was responsible for many of the squabbles which disturbed domestic peace, and ended so frequently in the police courts for a certain class, and in the divorce courts for some other folk. There were thousands of cases of this kind, the proper place for which was the consulting-room of the nerve specialist rather than the public courts. In many instances “bad temper” was really a disease, as also were such conditions as sulkiness, sudden rudeness, abruptness of manner, and so forth. If this wera more generally understood people would bo more inclined to settle their difficulties amicably than they often were. If a husband was persistently unreasonable, or a wife irritable beyond endurance, the aggrieved party might certainly advise tho offending one to see someone about his or her "nerves” before resorts dug to more drastic measures. # efc efc Sevres Blue ; The famous blue colour given to tho .porcelain manufactures at Sovros has long been believed to be tho result of a secret, process, and many legends exist about it. It has, however, been recently shown that it is a mistake to suppose that Sevres .blue cannot bo produced elsewhere. As a matter of fact, it is produced in many French potteries, where sufficient care is taken, and whore pure oxide of cobalt is used. Formerly it was difficult to procure this article without impurities, which injured tho colour; but chemicpl discovery has overcome all tho difficulties. Tho same is true of tho'Chinese green known as celadon. It was invented in China, but it can be perfectly reproduced elsewhere. — “Harper's Weekly/’ # Jfc THE HANDKERCHIEF Tho handkerchief does not oomo from China, as has been generally received, but from Italv. Only 360 years ago the handkerchief of a.Venetian lady was considered a great curiosity. The handkerchief crossed the Alps and was received with great favour at the Court of France. Handkerchiefs wore then made of cambric o.r lawn, and bordered with Venetian or Aleucon lace. Under Henrv lit. of France the sachet was introduced. The handkerchief was taken into Germany a tittle later, and was known ns tho "fazelletin,” after its Italian name. Only persons of quality used it. and an edict in 1535 was published at Dresden interdicting tho uso of tho handkerchief among the trading classes. ijf # # A great man is what he is because he was what ho was.

BOBBY AND THE FLOWERS There once lived a little boy named Bobby, who, I am sorry, to say, was very destructive. One of his greatest pleasures in the summer-time was to pull off tho heads of tho dowers, although nurse had told him it was very- naughty. -One afternoon, when Bobby's mother and father had gone out, Bobby felt*'in a very bad mood because he could not go with them, so he ran out into the garden and pulled off the heads of all the beautiful roses that his father took great cafe of. When he went to bed that night he bad a horrible dream. He dreamt that he was walking through a forest when suddenly ho heard a hoarse laugh, and, looking round, he saw a lot of ugly little meu grinning at him hideously. Bobby felt vary frightened, and would have run away but the little men ran up to. him and caught hold of him roughly, and cried, “So you are the boy who kills the flowers, are you ?” Then they pinched and kicked him -until they were exhausted. Poor Bobby cried in vaiix for mercy, and just as a fresh shower of I kicks was about to cover him he awoke. “Oh,” he murmured, “I will never touch the poor flowers .again!" And I am glad to tell you he kept his promise. * * * i A kind voice is a joy, like a | j lark’s song, to a hearth at home. ! ! It is a.light that sings as well as ! | shines. Train it to sweet tones ! ■ now and it .will keep in tune j } through life. !

ETIQUETTE OF LAUGHTER

Aa American paper reminds us how thick and thicker the books on etiquette are getting to be, and remarks that with all the instruction on how to sit and move and bow and eat and when laughter is indecorous, there is nothing to tell folk when to laugh. The gift of laughing when a vis-a-vis hopes you are going to is something that adds immensely to social charm. Here again a kind and responsive heart comes to one's aid, for if we feel the pleasure the speaker takes in telling his worn-out story we shall laugh with him spontaneously enough. •* * *

Like an earthen pot, a bad man is easily broken and cannot be readily restored to his former situation; but a virtuous man, like a vase of gold, is broken with difficulty and easily repaired.—Hitopadesa.