THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1856, 17 June 1887, Page 36

THE NATURALIST.

< A New Orleans parrot was very much annoyed by two doves that, as she stepped out of her cage, rushed in and ate up all the food there. One 'day, after apparent profound thought, the parrot stepped out" of the 'cage, and then turned and with great care shut the door after her. The squawk of triumph she then gave showed that she knew .that she had done well. , " , , Phosphoeescent Birds.— A correspondent of the Scientific.American relates the following :— " In reading of the habifs/of ,the wading birds, and- particularly of the:crane, I do , not find, .that naturalists give any account of their manner of , attracting their prey at night. .My attention was called to the matter while gigging for fish, by. frequently ■>• observing dim phosphoric lights appear and disappear along the shore like jack' ' o' lanterns, which I for a l©ng time supposed 1 them to be. On one snch occasion I fired at . such a light, and brought down a large 'blue crane, •on which the phosphoric spots were' clearly visible after death. There are two spots', the larger being high up on the breast and the smaller at "the bottom of the breasf bone ? the bird having power to reyeal and conceal them at will. 1 have , since, stuffed many of the water walkers, and find that .all have the same general arrangement of the feathers, and, as I believe, . the same power of lighting up the water to attract -thefish^ Will some naturalist 1 who v is posted on this ' subject please throw some further light upon it for the benefit of science 1 " : ■ i The Whale.— ln a lecture recently delivered ■ at ' the Ehilosophical Institution,' Edinburgh, by Sir William Turner, Professor of Anatomy in the' university of ' that city,- j 'much J - information was- given, concerning *| Whales, their Structure and Habits." - The ; professor discussed one question, in fconnetftidn with this interesting animal,- which j so" far. f as- 1 we can remember^ has -'not "been' 1 touched upon by , previous, ' inquirers! With', help of Mr John Henderson, of Glasgow,' tjba; we]lrjfnown' shipbuilder/ he' had /.calcu.: ' laied " the' { ". horae-^owsr' which must be ' exercised by a large' whale so ; as , to enable ' th© oreature to acquire a speed o| ,13 milss,> an,hour. For, the purpose of this strange ■ calculation, the case was taken of a whale, which was Etran.ded at ., Longniddry, in the County: of Haddington, . some years agp.i This iw.hale- had a- tail -which- measured nearly 20ft from end to end of itsi'flahgfes^i the weight of the animal being 74 tons, Having ttoga figures &a data to go upon, it i

was : calculated 'iftfo a 'whale of such ■ proportions, in order £0' attain the 5 speed above mentioned, 1 must exert a propelling force of no' less than 1 i^'horseipqwer'. ''".' ' ;iNTELLIGE|^E '.OP'AiTILLEKr' HOESES.— I once saw^a>.young soldier who belonged 'to a ' battery of '• artillery engaged in : ' patching the holes in his guidon (a marker's ' flag)' with cloth from the lining of his ! uniform. When I asked him, why he spent > so- much time to' mend that old flag, his ' answer was that as? we were -so far from' the' base of supplies he could" not get a new'one, '."and that when the battery went 'into action with 36 horses' and six guns he always stuck' the pike of, the? guidon into the ground where the battery) was'to form, .and even if .the man who rode.;the leading horse was killed or j disabled, ' and the noise of battle ' was so great that, the bugle call could not be heard, the horses, would wheel around the flag and execute the manoeuvre known as by left into, line, and bring the muzzles of the six guns on a' liidewith the flag,' and 1 then as soon 1 as the gun's were ,unlimbered, he would again place it about 200 paces to the rear, and the horses would gallop -to the rear with -the caissons and halt againon a line with it. — Chicago Journal. • ; ' , A ' Strange Race.— Professor Miguel Maraz'ta, says Nature, has made what seems' a curious anthropological discovery in the Valley' of the Rebas (Gerona) at the end of the Eastern Pyrenees. There exists iri this' district a somewhat numerous group of people.i.who' are- called Nanos (dwarfs) by the other inhabitants, and as a matter of fact, are not more than four feet in height. Their bodies are fairly well built, hands and feet small, shoulders and hips broad, making them 'appear more robust than they really are. Their features are so peculiar that their is no mistaking them among others. ' All have red' hair ; the 1 face is, as broad as long, with high cheekbones, strongly-developed jaws, and flat noses! The eyes are not horizontal, but .somewhat oblique, like those of Tartars and Ghinese. A few straggling, ■^eak hairs are found in place of beard. The skiiv is pale and flabby. Though the mouth is large, th 3 lips do not quite pover the large projecting incisors. The Nanos, who are. the butt- of the other inhabitants, live en- = tirely by themselves' in Rebas. They intermarry only among themselves, so that their peculiarities continue to be reproduced. Entirely without education, and without any chance of improving their condition, they lead the • life '-of pariahs. They know their own' names, but rarely remember those of'j tiheir- parents ;Vcan hardly tell where they live, 'and, have' rio ( idea of numbers. '