MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 608, 25 July 1863, Page 8

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Domestic Pbts. — H. M., m the Queen, writes : " I think that a few hints respecting the best mode of distinguishing the sexes of young birds may be acceptable, as it is most annoyjhig, after having taken the trouble of rearing young birds, to find that when they moult in September, all your care has been thrown away on hen birds ; besides, it is then so late in the season that it would be cruel to turn them loose, whereas, had you known which were the hen birds in July, you might have given them their liberty, and during the fine weather they would have learnt to provide for themselves before the approach of winter, or if they were migratory birds, their wings would be sufficiently practised to enable them to cross the Mediterranean. The sex of the starling can be told by the eye as soon as the bird is hatched. In the male bird* the iris is black, in the hen it is a light hazel colour. The only method to tell the sex of the blackbird is by plucking a few feathers out of the breast when the bird is about ten days old ; if it i 3 a male, in about a fortnight you will observe the feathers to be quite black ; if a hen, they will be brown. The sex of the thrush cannot be told by its colour, as generally speaking the hen is the handsomest bird ; the only way is by comparing two together, and choosing the bird with the boldest appearance and widest across the skull ; it is a most difficult bird to distinguish. The skylark may be easily told by its wing, the male bird having a large wing, and concave underneath, the wing of the hen being much smaller, and quite flat. The woodlark and titlark are, like the thrush, very difficult to distinguish, the sexes being alike in size and colour ; the only method i 3 to compare the heads, choosing ihe boldest looking bird. The blackcap can be told by its head. Pluck out a few feathers from the crown ; if the new feathers are black, it is a male sif brown, a female. The nin-htin^ale and garden warbler cannot be distinguished by their colours, and can only be told by their appearance, as in the thrush. In the o-old-finch, the short bristly feathers round the'base. of the beak are, in the male bird, black -, in the hen they are brownish. The shoulder of a male bird is also black, that of the hen brown, although there are some of what are termed hazle^winged cocks, hut these are rare In the linnet, the male has seven feathers in

each wing, with a white mark ; the hen has only five. In the bullfinch you must pluck a few feathers oiit of the breast. If the new ones come red, it is a male ; if otherwise, it is a hen." Botler's Perquisites.— " Three ships," ; " two steamers," and " one barque." These vessels will arrive at Long Wharf to-day, about nine o'clock. They contain the immense wealth accumulated by General Butler and. staff while stationed at New Orleans, which is estimated at about 6,000,000 dollars. There are two boots full of diamonds, one tea-chest of children's silver mugs, - one. cradle full of ladies' gold hair-pins, two bandboxes of pincushions, one coal-hod of Mosaic brooches, two clothes-baskets of altar ornaments, seventeen valises of gold and silver watches, twentyone strawberry-boxes of gold rings (stolen from ladies while walking in the streets), two sugar-boxes of silver door-plates and knobs, and a stocking full of decanter labels, sixteen cigar-boxes of gold pens and silver everpointed pencil-cases, twenty-one pianos (one for each of the staff), two church organs (a little out of tune), one hack, five poodles, six stallions, and various other articles, too numerous to mention. Colonel French, on his return, will bring the remainder of the loot. Boston Evening Gazette. Ice Bridge at Niagara.— For the third time in he history of Canada, the Niagara River at it 3 unction with Lake Ontario has been bridgel with cc. The first occasion was before the war of 1812 ■ he second in the spriug of 1845. In this latter intance the river, with the exception of very rore aud "significant spots, was bridged from its mouth to within a short distance of the Falls, and at the wharf at Niagara the boulders of ice were packed on the top of each other to the height of forty oi .fifty feet, completely shutting out the view of the opposite shore, The third bridging of the river commenced at two o'clock on Monday afternoon, February 16, and at four o'clock some persons crossel. On Tuesday morning a party of seventeen or eighteen, half of whom were ladie3, came over from Youngatown t> Niagara. The river is bridged with ice from its mouth upwards for a distance of about two miles and a half. The sight is reported as being one of surpassing beauty aud grandeur, and well- worth a journey to see. The cause of the "jam" is a prevalence oj south winds for a few days, and then a sudden change to the north— the first forcing tue ice down the Upper Lake into the river, which is prevented by trie north winds from {getting into Lake Ontario. — St. Katherine's Journal. Outrage on a Maori — The New Zealander thus speaks of n scene which occurred in the Burrack. Square at Auckland during the rejoicings in celebration of the Royal Marriage :— " We wish, for the sake of Auckland, that as journalists we could pasa over oue disgraceful incident which took place on the afternoon aof yesterday in the Albeit Barracks. It was but in Wednesday's issue that we reported the particulars of a brutal outrage committed on a European woman by a native— to-dnv we have to record conduct towards a native on the part of a rabble which exhibited itself in an outrage of disgraceful and dastardly ruffianism of which, till then, wo had believed even the lowest of colonial rabble incapable. A Maori, it appear;., was engaged in climbing the greasy pole, when some of the worst disposed of the crowd about the spot commenced inciting others against him by such cries as " what does the nigger want here ?" and men and boys in the crowd then commenced pelting him with pieces of scoria, wood, &c. At first the Maori took it goo'l naturetlly enough, but being struck rather hard more thau once, lost his temper, and sliding diwn the pole, and finding himself very roughly handled, struck one who was ill using him back again. This was the signal for one of the must ah ■ graceful scsnes which has ever taken place in Auckland. From more than a hundred voices arose shouts for the unfortunate man's bloo I ! " Tear him limb fiom limb," " out with his b y liver," " tear his heart out." and similar ferocious cries were echond from one to another. Fortunately, one or two welldispesed persons near the native succeeded in, pushing him towards the sergeants' mess room, the window of which was open, and with the help of two or three gentlemen, the most conspicuous of whom were Mr Robert Graham (the Superintendent), nnd Mr Bedli' gtou, of Wangarei, he was dragged in, the mob yelling furiously for his life. Not satisfied, they rushed to the back of the building, endeavouring to force an entrance, but a military picket having beea told off, a guard was placed over tin mess-room, and these " vigorous" ruffians balked of their victinu We sincere'y trust for the credit of the Province, for the sake of common humanity and justice, that nons against whom the charge can be proved will be allowed to go unpunished, if only in being held up lo public scorn and contempt. A Clincher.—' I haven't another word to say, sir — I never dispute with fools,' said, a gentleman who was getting the worst of an arsument, 'No,' was the reply, 'you are very sure to agree with them.' There is an amusing anecdote of Byron current at the University wliioh I do not remember to have seen in print, The roof of the library ot Trinity College is surmounted by three figures in stone, representing Faith, Hope; and Charity. These figures are accessible only from a particular room in Neville'acourt, which was occupied by Byron during bis residence at college. The adventurer, after getting out of this window, has to climb a perpendicular wall, sustaining himself by a frail leaden spout. He has then to traverse the sloping roof of a long range of buildings, by moving carefully on his hands and knees, at the imminent risk of being precipitated fifty feet into the court beneath. When the library is gained, a stone parapet has to be crossed, a bare glance at which. 9ends a thrill through the spectator who surveys it lrom below. This feat Byron performed one Sunday morning, while the heads of the dons and dignitaries were yet buried in their pillows, 'full of the foolishcst dreams.' lie had abstracted three surplices from the college chapel, which ho bore with him alo g the dangerous route described. When the bell at eight o'clock rang out its deep-* toned summons to the usual morning devotions, and the follows audunder-graduate3 hurried on their way to the chapel, they were startled to behold Faithj Hope, and Charity clad in surplices which reached i'u snowy folds to their feet, while their heads were surmounted, helmet-wise with bed-chamber waterewera. An enquiry was instituted by the indignant co'lege authorities. A tew select Mends knew, nnd the rest guessed that Byron was the author of the ontrage, but it was never brought home to him. No under-graduate beholds these statues now without a hearty laugh.— Continental Monthly,