The Finger Post POINTS The Right Road*

Otago Witness, Issue 2850, 28 October 1908, Page 85

The Finger Post POINTS The Right Road*

The Cas» of Mr. G. BOUQHTON.

(BY A DUNIDIN BBPO&7SR.)

It is exceedingly difficult to get an actual acquaintance with the constitution ot a country- unless one has livel for a time in face-to-face view of its operation. Often the exact meaning of the worda employed to describe the working' of & constitution can only be got on the spot, and so it is with matters concerning the individual member*, of every home. To'gtin an accurate insight onto affairs that once affected Mr. Clement Bpughton, of No. 58 Forth-»treet, Dunedin, a reporter called at that gentleman* residence and enquired : "Is it a fact that you were once ailing with -iadigastion, and that you are now quite cured t " "That is so," answered Mr. Boughton, " and it is to Clement* Tonic that my gratitude is due for being in such splendid health at the present time. It was when t was living at Tu&peka West, about four os five miles from Lawrence, -where I wac working, that my sufferings began, afcd * fellow-workman put me on to taking the remedy that cured me."- • ♦' Had you been trying any. other mcdi* cine before you took Clements Tonic !" "I had taken several kinds, but they had no good effect ; so that for fully five months I had to persevere with my work under most unfavourable circumstances. My appetite got so frail that ever enjoyed my meals, and many a day I had not the least inclination for food. It does not take a great deal of that sort of buainesn to reduce a man's strength, as I found ouk to my sorrow, and when sleeplessness alsq started bothering me my vitality ran out all the more quickly. In this way X boo*} became so languid that I had no desire foi work at all, and with the feeling of drowsu ness that settled upon me I was not in th« right frame to take interest in anything. Nearly the whole of some nights passed! •before. I could get to sleep, and when I wok* up it was usually with a nasty headache/ that tormented me for^the rest of the dar.j A bitter taste in my mouth gave my mofUj ing, meal an unpleasant flavour, and aftir eating ever so little I was afflicted w|th a heavy sensation in the chest, which seejnea to interfere with my breathing. ©But thfcft was not the worst part of^my troubles, aj^ my stomach used to become filled with; wind that arose from the undigested food, and the pains that also came there were* severe in the extreme. A new experienca forme, and one that I did not like either, was to find that my nervous system was Kreatly run down, for when I had done ar little exercise my nerves were quite snaky r and at other times they started to tretnbl* if anything occurred that gave me a start. Often a strange mist gathered beforjs my eyes and gave me the impression that little dark specks, like grains of soot, were dane- . ing in front of me, ' while, to make my life still more miserable, there were aches in ray loins thafc sometimes made . walking quit*, inconvenient* I am not altogether sure what caused it, although I suppose it was one of my indigestion symptoms ; but ther* was a pain right under my shoulder blade* that IcouldJiave done very well without; yell, I had to bear every one of my ailments right np to the time I started taking" ClemenW Tonic, and then, I am thankful to say, 1 soon began to feel easier. Upon my word, 1 never experienced such a rapid change fop the better in all my life, and my speedy recovery affords emphatic proof of the curing capabilities of Clements Tonic, which I can safely say is a genuine remedy fdr ailment* similar to the o- I suffered from." " Can you reti -über the first benefits yo« . derived ? " "To tell you the truth, I felt mor« vig/>« rous and cheerful after taking a coupl* o( bottle s of Clements Tonic than I had bee* for a long tTm*, and the appetite I got wai surprising. By-and-bye I noticed that my food was going through "a proper -u-ocess oi digestion, for the wiud and stomach pattfc left off annoying me, and the heaviness had gone from my chest as well. For curing; headaches and making me sleep, besides removing all pains and putting my nervoua system into splendid fettle, I shall always bear pleasing recollections of Clements Tonic, and you may publish these facts for ethers' benefit in any /form you like."

80th; th* minimum temperature was 22dcg, on tjvs 19th ; the average maximum temperatoss was 61.43deg, and the average minimum was 35.63deg. — I am, etc.,

Alex. D. M'Kiktxcx.

"J.," Catlins River, writes: — "Dear 'Magister,' — The bronze cuckoo called on September 29, and the long-tailed cuckoo on October 2. I am sending you two models — one of a Scotch fancy canary, the other a piebald canary of the Kilwinning Ornithological Society. There are many people here who will not believe there are canaries of this shape, -but these are true models, and the birds must be this shape for showing." — I am afraid that the pictures sent by " J." would not be accepted as models by canary fanciers in Dunedin. Are they not a good many yeare old, and do not fasbions change in canaries as in collars? "J.^s" stamps were received and the pictures have been returned. "SL A." aske information regarding the call of the little owj recently introduced. "Old Boy" sends the following: — "According to Dr H. O. Forbes 'the cry of the old birds when they have young ready to leave the neet is said to resemble the alarm cry of -the blackbird ; at other times they make a short, barking hoot.' The same authority says ' the little owl devours snails, slugs, caterpillars, and large insects, and is, in consequence, gladly welcomed as an inmate of gardens; it also captures and eats mice, small birds, bats, and frog 3. '" ' "Kia Ora's" letter is hardly suitable for these columns, and I am passing it y>n to the editor of the Witness.

"Ornithologist" has forgotten more about tfca fan-tail than I ever know, so I cannot flay whether be or Mr Stead is right— o/Tbota. I expected «on:e cuckoo records' before this. Notes on fantail and cuckoo wanted. " Ornithologist's " letter i<3 followed by one from "Robin," who refers to birds, a subject " Ornithologist " and Dr FuJton have made their own.

Dear "Magister," —^The bronze cuckoo used to arrive at West Taieri, whexeT Bpen't my boyihood, aa regularly as a clock on the 22nd or 23rd of September. The birds are all over the islands by now, and no doubt Mr Drunrmond has lots of letters £jid telegrams adnouncing -the fac-t. Ztet everybody, boys, girls, and adults, "watch out" and record resulte. Aa to the nest of the fantail, I never found one in the situations mentioned by you. In Olago the birds always build -dn thin, ligit-foliaged irees ; never in thick en«s. The nest is built on to a thin bough or a fork, well out from thetrea trunk and nearly always overhanging or near to a little stream. Another situation I have often found them in is pretty high up in the thin screen, like hanging' creepers, which depend from the sides of our larger forest trees. The nest is bo small! 1 and bo neatly eet on the branch or creeper, and so closaly retenibks its surroundings that it does not need thick foliage to conceal it, and what one needs lo find such a nest is to watch the birds closely, and, with a very *juick eye to scan the branches or creeper from end 'to "end. I never heard of a fantail building under the Leaves of a cabbage tree. Surely Mir Slead ha*> been misreported, and this should icpfe tomtit for fantail. Tomtits will build matted fern leaves or cebb&gc tree leases, and fantails will build a beautiful uesl on one frond of a fern treo; but going into the thick cabbage tree leaves implies, a complete change from the usual habits of the bird so far as Otago is concerned. Of course, birds will sometimes build anywhere and a change of vegetation such as rho find in Canterbury may account fea? much. "" The grey warblers hold their own because bf their pensile nest cf^iikc. which, constructed right at the ond of a thin spray of manuka or mingi-mingi, is absolutely rat, mouse, or weasel-proof. In addition to this, the warbler breeds twieff, if not three times, in a season, and lays five and sometimes six eggs each time. So even to-day is the " cry of the riro riro heard in the land."— l am, c * c -> Ornithologist. Dear " Magister,"— l read with much interest your extracts from Dr Pulton's " The Disappearance of the New Zealand Birds," and it is rather a coincidence that I intended writing you this week asking if any of your readers h»d noticed the peculiar habit which the doctor attributes to one of our most beautiful birds, namely, the tui, of soaring to great height* and then descending with a, mighty ru6h through the air. This ca» be observed any fine day in the summer, at the top of th© Tokonui 00166, and not confined to any particular time or hour of the day either. Many a time, while having my lunch on a warm day, when not a breath of wind could be felt, I have heard and seen a flock of tuis — perhaps> a dozen, Sometimes less — descending through the air, the noise made by tiiem being like a big whirlwind. I confess the first time I heard it I considered it strange and weircllike. and, after discovering the cause, thought that perhaps the locality might have something to do with it, as the hills on either side of the gorge are fairly high, and the birds, when crossing between, I notice, keep gradually rising in that heavy, lumbering style "so peculiar to the tui, so that by th® time he gels from one Eummit to the other he adust be »t * considerable elevation. I have often seen them peak on the journey across the gorge; perhaps- when about halfway, one would turn, when all the rest would follow to where they had started from. So that if any of your readers ehould ever pa»s through Cae ton of Takonui Gorge on a fine, still day, and keep their eyes and ears open, they will experience what is a very common occurrence in that locality. I thank you for your information to'-my former letter. — I am, etc./ Eobin.

Fortrose, October 5.

Last week I asked for notes on the geology of the Taieri, Mataura, etc., and Mr Christie kindly forwards this note, which will interest " E.A."

Dear " Magister," — The Taieri Plain belongs to an old river or preglacial valley, occupied by the Silverstream from the Silver Peak Range and joined by the Wakari from Flagstaff. It was eroded by water before the glacial advent. The Taieri River is an intruder, cros&iDg the plain and making its exit through the coast range at Waihola. That it was » preg!«cial valley is shown by the moraine mounds along the eastern margin of the plain from Green Island to Wa-ihola. The Taieri VaJiey must, have been gouged out before these mounds could be laid down in it. A second witness is the cutting by the Taieri River throijgk the Cpmet Range to the eea. The ice was hig-Wr than the Coast Range, filling up the whole valley, preventing the liquified ice from flowing by Tokomairiro and forced it over the range, and cut it down low enough to be tfce outlet to the present day. It " Bruce " will read fto. VII. of the last ohapter of tJie " Earth's History," by Ghzisrae and Darton. in the Otago "Witness, ha will find an explanation of valley formation and liver deflection that will meet the eft«« of tie Tateri. I believe the above

explanation agrees substantially with Hectorand 'Hufton. — I am, etc.,

John Christie,

Anderston road, Rcslyn, October 8. P.S.— The "Geological Record" clearly shows that the great, glacial sge lay between the formation of the old Taieri Valley and the present-., era. — J.C.

My next is from "Rubina." Possibly Rubina can set an example in studying spidera, grubs, and so on. Dr Benham tells me that, as the Dominion is a younjr country, practically only thn fringe of enftomologwjal — or any other "logical" — life has been studied, here. By-the-bye, how many are acquainted with the introduced slug, Limax maximus; or Great Grey slug? I saw one the -other day, nearly six inches long, and was told of one over seven inches. " Maximus " is a good namo for him. I suppose Rubina knows that the "horns" are eye-stalks. It would be rather a convenience to project one's eyes out a fcofc or co as if on the end of a rubber stick ! But I must get on, and answer Rubina's query contained in a private note. My columns are not issued in any other way, and I haven't a complete set myself, Aam eorry to say. If they are thought worth preserving, I should say get sixpence worth 8f- dextrine powder, snaka< a {rum, and paste the columns in" a scrap-book. One more remark : I shall be only too glad to give any assistance in establishing' an Exchange Column, a oohimir I have suggested several times. Rubina says: —

Dear " Magister."— I was pleased to ccc Miss- Turton wanted my address^ and am now Jorw«rdLng it to you, and thank you for any trouble you are put to. I will b« pleased to do as Miss Turton suggests/ not only m beetles, but also wild flowers, spiders, etc. It would be a good idea for correspondents of different districts to exchange flowers, birds' eggs, and insects. I always .lorg to know more about Nature, but in this settlement there ore no shops and booksellers, &3 the only help one gets 13 " Miagistei's " column, which I am sure is read and appreciated by all lovers of Nature. -The grubs (Cicadela Tubecalate) are now becoming active, but are not changing yet. Baddy-long-legSj flies, and the brown bottle are all coming to maturity, with the waian weather. The grub of the lastnamed is destroying acres of grass in this district this year, and when gardening we find them and the grub of the first-named a constant hindrance. If picked out and placed in a tin of salt, they soon die. I placed some black beetles* in a "tin with a few grass grubs, and tho beetles at once vigorously attacked the grubs. I always thought thjs beetle destroyed the roots of plants till I saw this incident. Last weak I saw a pair of teal with a brood of five or six swimming on the creek close to the house. They chased back the tamed diicks which ventured too near. They build their nests similar to a tame duck, and their eggs are abnost as large, and are of a pale buff colour. • They take over five weeks to hatch, and every night just at dusk the drake, quacking loudly, may be seen to fly low to his mate. I have net yet discovered if he takes her place upon the eggs. I wondeV if any of your correspondents have ever smelt a s-weet perfume similar to that of violets among rocks or stones. Once, when we went into an old quarry, wo all smelt the same sweet odour, and 'when ' a search revealed no flowers, we actually took 9to smelling the stones, and were surprised, to find the mystery — a small pinkish moss or lichen growing cm them. Te Kohangia, Glenham, October 3. j CORRESPONDENCE HELD OVER. ■ T. T. Ward; "Birch"; J. W. Murdoch ; "F"; a circular from a Parisian gentleman collecting fprns for His Highness Prince Roland Bonaparte, kindly sent along by the recipient, Mi- G. M. Thomson, F.L.S. ; " Birdlover " ; and "W. B." These, or reference to them, will have priority of claim next week. The collection of eggs will also be referred to. IN YE OLDEN TIME. I have received from dome thoughtful reader two Bruce Heralds containing articles on "In Ye Olden Time," by Alex. Brown. In writing these articles Mr Brown is doinfr a favour to posterity, and I think it is a pity that The Old Identities' Association is not doing something to gather together all reminiscences of old identities. They are getting fewer and then* memories more legendary.

I must apologise to somo reader who, some weeks ago, sent me a Mataura Ensign, with an article on an old Otaco High School boy, Alex, Cameron, ""who, with his brothers, is doinc so well in Terra del Fue«o. I hope somo day in the near future to make u-e of the I papor.