HERE AND THERE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10608, 10 November 1910, Page 6

HERE AND THERE.

INSECT MECHANICS. The dehbeiate use of a tool bj a little sand wasp might well be supposed to denote sagacity almost equal to reasoning power A wasp has 'been seen to dig a hole and deposit an egg therein, together with a spider, which she has stung into paialjsis, to feed the grub which should be hatched in due time. Then she filled the hole with sand or earth and jammed it down with her l*>ad Then at last the filling was level with the giouud she brought a quantity of fine grains of dnt to the spot, picked up a small pebble 111 her mandibles, and used id as a hammer 111 pounding them down with iapid strokes, thus making tins spot as hard and film as the sinroundmg surface Before the watcher could lecover from his astonishment at this pcifoimance she had diopped her stone and was bringing more earth In a moment the watcher saw her pick up the pebble and again pound the earth into place with it Once rnoie the process was repeated, and then the little ci eaturo flew aw ay

TELEPHONING FROM A TRAIN

Wneless telephoning from a moving tiam was accomplished lecently for the first time with complete success (in England) on a stretch of railway four miles in length between Horlcy and Three Bridges, on the Brighton railway. Travelling by a fast train, a railwav official spoke to an inspector 111 a signal box as clearly as if the tram had been standing stationaiy and connected by w ire with the box. If* the ■■system is adopted a business man w„ill be able to earn on conversation with-his home 01 office wlulo he is tiavelhng between the two Mr Hour's ion Kiamei-j the 111\entoi, who conducted the experiment, is an electucal engmeci trained at Munich and now engaged in-business at Bnmmgham For four -\eazs he has been work.ng out the sjstem in his private workshop. For the purpose of the experiment a double line of wno was laid along-the sleepcis between Hoiley and Three Budges One telephone appaiatus was.placed in the brake van of the 2 3pm train fiom London Budge, the other was m the signal box- at Tin ce Bridges. As the tiain entered the circuit at Hotlev Mr von Kramer placed the receiver to his cirs, and a conversation took place while the,train was lunnmg at foiti miles an'hour.

THE LATEST FLOATING DOCK There has recently been completed by Messrs Vickers Sons and Maxim a 22,-000-ton floating dock for the Biazihan Government, and more 'particularly for the accommodation of the three, Biazillan Dieadnoughts It is the largest of its kind that has yet been built in G.rcat Britain, the length over all being 550tt 6in, the width, 126 ft, the length of the side walls, 450 ft 6m;, the depth of pontoons in centre, 18ft 3in ? and the height of the side walls above pontoons, 45ft 6in. WIRELESS FOR VESSELS. Wireless telegraphy is being mtioduced among Geiman 'fishing vessels. ,The advantage of this system of com-munjLcatipn-jus-,that nVpermits one-vessel ,that is making a good catch to lepoit the matter- to another vessel of the same company, so that 'the entire* fleet may return with the largest possible I quantities of fish. Furthermore,, they ican inform the managers of the public Imaikets lespectmg the quantities of .fish ithey have for sale, so that m case of an •unusual catch, arrangements may be made -for distributing the fish m the least possible time.