OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN

Otago Witness, Issue 3006, 25 October 1911, Page 80

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN

FOE SENIORS AND JUNIORS. (Conducted by Macusteb, to whom all com* munications must be addressed.)tMAGrsTEn will be gfad to receive Nature notes, marked papers containing educational articles, diagrams, details of experiments, etc., of scholastic interest to teachers and pupils. Correspondents must use only one bide of the paper, and whether using a pen wiine or not, must send both hasib ana ADD&BSS.] TRAFALGAR. "Admirals all for England's sake Honour be yours and fame! And honour as long as waves shall break, To Nelson's peerless name!" —Newbolt. Thine island loves thee well, thou famous man, The greatest sailor since the world began. —Tennyson. The story of Trafalgar is an annually recurring one. But the tale cannot be repeated too often. Wo all knew how Villeneuve at Toulon was to give Nelson the slip, cross over to the West Ind.es, unite witn the Rochefort squadron, and return to Ferrol, whence, reinforced by the pick of the Spanish navy, from Cartagena, Oadiz, and Ferrol, it was to sail up the Channel, raise the blockade of Brest, and be augmented by the squadron bottled up there, and then in full force arrive beioce Boulogne to convoy across the great flotilla which was to crush England. We all know, too, that Ne.'son was tricked for the moment, for while Villeneuve was careering westward to the Indies Nelson went post haste to Egypt. But so active was Nelson in his movements that he returned, went west, and arrived in the Indies on June 4, the day before Villeneuve left on his return. Then came the chase back. On June 19 Nelson was actually further east than Villeneuve, and he actually sighted Europe a week or so ahead of his opponent, who had taken a more northerly course. On July 22, Oalder fell in with Villeneuve off Cape Finistei-re, and fought an indecisive action; yet decisive enough to send his opponent into Vigo and Corunwa, whence* he retreated to Cadiz, the while Napoleon was fuming at Boulogne. And he had good reason for retreating. His own flagship, the Bucentaure, had been struck by lightning, and . had been badly damaged. The Toulon ships had been sent to sea with " bad masts, bad sails, bad rigging." Those of his allies ought never to have left Cadiz. In the state in which they had been sent to sea they added nothing to his strength. Sickness —scurvy and dysentery—was rife; there was not a ship in the fleet that had fewer than 60 sick on board. . Most of them had more. The Argonaute had 150 sick, the Achille 200. Only his extreme necessity. . . . had forced him into Vigo, and there he found his hands tied by the Emperor's own orders. Vigo had no resources of use to a fleet, and he was expressly forbidden to go to Ferrol dockyard. . . . At Corunrra, where he was ordered to proceed instead, there was nothing; not even facility for landing the sick."

And the Spanish division at Cadiz was in little better plight than the French one. Admiral Gravina found great difficulty in manning his 15 ships that went into action. Urgent appeals were made for volunteers, and press gangs sw«pt »the streets. Then, too, "to stiffen tlie new crews, and man the upper deck guns and supply the .musketry, and also to leave what trained seamen' there were available, free for their own special work, strong drafts of soldiers were shipped."

The battle of Trafalgar did not prevent the invasion of England in the sense generally understood, for before the battle and as soon as Napoleon knew his naval plans had not eventuated, the camp at Boulogne bad been broken up and the Grand Army had been transported east, and on the day preceding- Trafalgar Napoleon, who had bitbarlv cursed his admirals for their failure to achieve the impossible, had captured 80,000 Austrians at Ulm. But- the idea of invading England had not _ been given up, for he said to the Austrian generals who wore surrendering their swords to him: "I want nothing further on the Continent; I want ships, colonies, and commerce." But England stood in the way, and nothing short of an invasion seemed to him to be possible to achieve his end. Little did be think that, in less than 24 hours of his expression of his wishes the combined fleets of France and Spain were to be practically annihilated, and, as events have shown, the result was to bo a naval supremacy for Great Britain for over a century. At Boulogne. We have all re id of the Grand Army massed at Boulogne, but do you know any of the details connected with it ? All through August, from Havre to Texel, at some 40 signal stations, look-out men

watched for the comins - of the French fleet. Napoleon, who had said, "I only want to be master of the sea for six hours to terminate the existence of England, and who was at Boulogne daily, rode north and south to scan the horizon with his glass to catch the glint of Villeneuves sails which never came; and daily, too, the Grand Army rehearsed the details of the proposed descent. "Every battery, every company, had been allotted to its boats, and the soldiers, to the drummer boys, told off to the very seats in each transport. ... Not one detail was omitted. First, there was the signal gun for all to 'fall in'; then a second gun, for generals and the staff to take post; then the third gun, ' prepare to embark'; finally, the gun to march on board and take seats. It had been found possible it was reported, to ship the advance guard of 25,000 picked men in less than 10£ minutes; and it had taken less than 13 to embark them all in the attack formation in which they were to land on Walmer Beach." Within an hour and a-half every man and horse was on board. At the same time there were already stored away " 14.000.000 cartridges, 90,000 rounds for the artillery, 32,000 reserve muskets, 1,300,000 musket flints, 1,500,000 rations of biscuits, 30,000 details of engineer equipment, 11,000 spare saddles and sets of harness." Under Napoleon there were Soult, Ney, Murat, Masena, Davout, Lannefc, and Marmont, all of whom were subsequently forced to show their backs to British generals, and under them were " 160,000 men of all arms, Imperial guard and- infantry, 12,000 cavalry, and 8000 dragoons (to be mounted in England), 15,000 horses, and 450 guns," and to accommodate the expedition and equipment there had been specially built "2280 odd 'praams' and armed transports." On the very day that Villeneuve turned for Cadiz these nine miles of soldeirs paraded in review order on the sands of Boulogne., In England. And what of England ? Excitement was at "fever heat. "All England was on tenter-hooks of anxiety and expectation. Great Britain, during August, 1805, was one Yast camp —regulars, yeomanry, and militia under canvas near the coast; Volunteers inland, nearly 400,000 of them. Every "little...country town, every village, had its ' Armed Association,' who kept their arms—Government muskets, or often only pikes—during the week in the old church tower, and zealously drilled every Sunday after service. Across the mouth of the Thames a number d old ships, Indiamen, were turned into ' floating batteries,' with ■ 24-pounders mounted on one broadside, and anchored near Tilbury, to form a barrier against an enemy working up towards London by river. . . . " Along the South Coast, between 70 and 80 mavtello towers —some of them are still standng —were being hastened on with and nearing completion; each tower being built to carry one heavy gun, mounted so as to fire in any direction. . . . Every little seaport had its local detachment of Sea Fencibles, fishermen enrolled for coast defence, in improvised gunboats—their own craft with a eixpounder mounted in the bows. During August 1805, very few people went to bed without first pulling aside the blinds, and casting an anxious glance in Jhe direction of the nearest beacon. At the same time, in certain out-of-the-way parts along the coasts, to strike a light within sight of the sea after dark was an indictable offence—lest by that means a signal might be made to an enemy in the offing. " There are people still alive (written in 1906) in some of the remoter districts of Kent and Sussex who can remember having heard their parents 'describe in all seriousness" the intense anxiety that the mere mention of the name ' Boney' would arouse in all the countryside among young and old alike; and there are many parts of the country, both in the Southern Counties and along the East Coast, where, to this day, one comes across strangely sounding place names such as ' Beacon Hill,' or ' The Beacon,' ' Barrack Field,' or ' Barrack Lane,' 'The Butts,' Camp Field," Artillery Lane,' 'Magazine Field,' and so on, which owe their origin to the invasion menace of J 805." Most of these notes are taken friom "The Enemy at Trafalgar," written in 1906 by Edward Fraser, a writer of naval history.

We are supposed to be at peace. Are we? When Queen Victoria ascended the Throne in 1837 the naval expenditure was about five millions; 1851-5 it was 15s to 19g millions; about 1872, it was 9£ millions; from 1884 to 1900 it increased from 11 to 28 millions; from 1901 to 1909 (Edward VIT). it ran from 31 to 40 millions; and for 1910-12 it is given as to million? !

METEOROLOGICAL NOTES Last week's article by 'the - Commonwealth Meteorologist and the accompanying diagrams will lend interest to the following extracts from an account of the Marong cyclone. Maiong is near Bendigo (Sandhurst), in Victoria, and the cyclone that visited it a week or two ago was of such severity as to be thought worthy of a oablegram to us. I am taking the extract from the Argus. When a board is carried two miles and hail to. os as big as a fist fall those living •>. tri-- course of the cyclono must have had an a >i"Ui time of it. "BENDIGO, Th-.;.5-;-,y. - Tin effects of the cyclone and clo ■■'■ ■"■ t, which did so much damage at M&--'--.' ye torday afternoon, were also apwiw r at Woodstock. The road from Lafir.r (• re berame almost impassable after the di.-turb'ancj. Fences were knocked down, and largo trees obstructed the way. In a few minutes there was a rushing stream four feet in depth over the road. Stork agente coming* from the Laanecooiie stock sale in motor cars were considerably delayed on their journey, and friendly farmer- with horses and buggies had to go to their assistance.

"The rain came down in sheets for about three-quarters of an hour, and the oreeks were converted from mere trickling streams into broad a.nd swift torrents. The width of water in Kangaroo Creek in a few minutes was over 200 feet, and in places the stream was 20 feet deep. Mosquito Creek rose to six feet above the bridge, an unprecedented occurrence As in the Marong district, hailstones and blocks of ice up to the rize of a man's fist fell. Tho uplands in the vicinity were covered with ice, and resembled snowekud hills. Ice was piled up against fallen trees to a height of three feet in places like snowdrifts, and altogether the scene was remarkable. "Numbers of people went our. (-0 Wilson's Hill, Ma.romg. to-day, and viewed the

-wreckage of Mr Jordan's residence and Garter's battery. The intensity of the storm may be gauged by the fact that some of the lining boards of Mr Jordan's house were found about two miles away. Mr Jordan's condition has shown no improvement, and Dr Rockett entertains no hopo of his recovery. " The residence of Mrs A. Wells, at Lookwood, was destroyed, and Mrs Wells, who was inside had her knee-cap almost torn away. Mr J. Cock, a brother of Mrs Wells, and living only 300 yards away from his sister's place, had his new fourroomed weatherboard house wrecked. Some of the galvanised iron roofing was found in trees half a mile away, while lighter woodwork has not been recovered. During the storm a door slammed on Mrs Cook a hand, and four of her fingers were almost severed." , - A comparison of the date sent m oy Mr Roberts, of Otago Central, and by Mr Bowie, of Wairoa, Hawke's Bay, is again interesting. There is no need to go to Timbuctoo or Siberia for examples to illustrate temperature and rainfall when we can get them in our own little Dominion. Wairoa had three times the rainfall lor September and the minimum' temperature was 12 degrees over that of Ranfurly. Again, so late as September, Ranfurly had 20 nights of recorded frost. RanlurUy.. too, is colder and drier than Croydon. Wairoa School, October 3. Dear " Magister."—l have much pleasure in forwarding the following records:— Rainfall:—Sepember sth, .02m; 12th .25in; 13th, .lUin ; 14th, .8lm; 15th, .01m; 17th, .Ulin ; 18th, .09in; 19th, .06in; 20th, .22in; 21st .01 in; 22nd, .27in; 27th, .30in; 29th, .31m. Total 2.26 in. Total for 1911, to September 30th, 53.93 in on 128 days. Previous September records :-Septemb 3 r, 1906, 4.03; September 1907, 2.78; September, 1908, 1.49; September 1909, 4.47; September, 1910, 1.22; September, 1911, 2.26 in. Temperature : T Minimum temperature, 38deg on 11th; maximum temperature , 70deg on 18th; average of minima, 47.4 deg; average of maxima, 62.7 deg; average at 9 a.m., 54.0 deg; average at 1 p.m., 58.6 deg. Barometic pressure: Minimum, 29.2 on 19th; maximum, 3U.<ii> on 11th.—Yours truly, John Bhown, 8.A., Headmaster.

Ranfurly, October 4. Dear " Magister,"—The following are the meteorological records for the month of September:—Maximum temperature n screen, 65deg on the 15th, minimum temperature in screen, 26 deg on the Bth; minimum temperature on ground, 22de.g on the 6th and Bth; average maximum in Wreen, 55.53 deg; average minimum in screen, 32.33 de g; average minimum on ground, 29.9 deg; rainfall, 75 points on 8 days; maximum, 20 points on the 18th. Rainfall to date since January 9,9.78 in on 63days. Frost occurred on 16 nights in the screen, and 20 on the ground. Prevailing wind N.W.—Yours truly, A. W. Roberts.

Croydon, October 3. Dear " Magister,"—The rainfall for the month was 180 points on 13 days; maximum fall, 30 points on 11th. The average maximum temperature was. 57.3 deg maximum, 64deg on 16th and 18th. The average minimum temperature was 44deg; mimimum, 32deg on 18th. The average 9.30 a.m. temperature was 50.6d'eg.—Yours truly, Hilda Macdonald.

BIRD NOTES. In "Student's" Nature Column in the Southland Times there appeared _ recently a long, but very interesting, letter from Jules H. Tapper, of Clifden, and from it I take the following on the * tui, cuckoo, and dotterel: — ' I was much amused last week at the attempts mad© by a tui to bring forth song. All he could produce was some thoaty and very guttural notes. Even to do this appeared hard work, and his body and feathers were all puffed out as if he had been using a bicycle pump on himself. The tui will be soon in better voice- after he has his throat tickled with the honey tui ie more plentiful at the present time from the konini and kowbai flowers. The than is usually the case. Although the tui has a belaboured method <f fUinsr. there are few birds in the bush that could give him a handicap. I beg to differ with Dr R. Fulton, the much-esteemed Dunedin naturalist, when he says that the tui has no chance in overhauling the longtailed cuckoo. I have seen a pair of tuis chase a cuckoo and almost kill him the cuckoo having to seek shelter in a. lowly ino- shrub, where the battle still continued. I left the cuckoo to his fate, for I had no doubt that he had been caught in the act of robbing the, tui's nest. The tui may be called the .parson bird, but without doubt he is cock of the walk with all the birds in* the bush. The dotterel is a perky and cheery little fellow, and is always welcomed, being one of the first huibingers of spring. Two instances of the actions of these birds that have come under my personal knowledge have compelled me to unseat the owl from his pedestal as that of the wisest of birds and instead to place the dotterel theieon. The first instance was whilst proceeding across a stony piece of ground to get to the Waiau River with rod and line, I startled a dotterel from out of her nest. Immediately she commenced with her usual box of tricks, fluttering away from in, front of me, as if suffering with a broken wing and at times on her back apparently exhausted. Eventually I saw hex crouch alongside a stunted white tussock and remain there until I was within a few yards of her. Judge of my surprise to find that her stoppage had been at a ground lark's nest containing eggs. Thinking it nothing else but a strange coincident I thought nothing of it at the time. Having rose and failed lo catch any trout, I betook myself next day to the' same piece of fishing ground, when again I ' met. the dotterel, who again went through her usual performance, finishing up by again crouching alongside the lark's nest. I then understood her motive. I think it was the cutest and the most cunning act I have ever heard dT by one of the feathered tribe. The second instance, and even more wonderful than the above recorded fact, was on an occasion whilst I was driving a small mob of 300 or 400 sheep across a level, but stony paddock. I noticed the mob separate into two columns, and then reioin again. Not being able to account for such an action, I rode up to the spot, where, to my astonishment, "was a dotterel standin"' alongside its nest of two eggs with its wings revolving like an electric fan. The sheep in consequence had divided, with the result that the nest and eggs were untouched. You will agree with me, Student, that the sagacity and pluck of the dotterel deserves mention."

Mr Tapper asks if the dotterel is migra-

tory, and " Student's " anewer. together with a portion of his note on the bird, is contained in the following: " The two admirable notes on the remarkable instances of maternal sagacity exhibited by the banded dotterel are the most interesting things that have come under my notice for some ' time. .The question arises, were they instances of indivdual intelligence or the fixed instinct of the race? Do all nesting dotterels behave in the manner described when an approaching mob of sheep threatens to destroy their eggs or young, or was it simply an isolated case where the parent bird adopted such successful tactics on the spur of the moment? Evidently the observation of the ways of the banded dotterel offers a fine field for the study of a series of remarkable habits. Regarding the migration of the dotterel I am not able to give any definite information, Hutton and Drummond state that though it has been suspected of an autumnal migraion from New Zealand to Tasmania, it is equally abundant in the North Island all the year round, and r-hows no signs of migrating. 1 think that the latter statements require some modification, and should be pleased to get notes from others on the subject. Certainly, if an autumnal migration does take place, a return is made at an early date. In August the birds may always bo found on the shingle flats at River ton Beach."

CORRESPONDENCE AND NOTES. "Student" send me a drawing of a curious structure found on one of our beaches.. I submitted it to Dr Benham, F.R.S., who tells me it is the "purse" or egg cose of the elephant fish, and he adds.: "Each such case contains one egg, which is developed in this case and then escapes. ' As "Student" is a student, and besides appreciating our columns at times gives us very material aid, I append the following from "The Royal Natural History," prefacing it by saying that the scientific name of the elephant fish is Callorynchus (hardskinned snout?) antartieus, and that it is one of the chimseroids. But you might ask what are the chimseroids? They are cartilaginous fish belonging to the order Holocephali. But what order is that? The word means " whole-headed," or, I suppose, "solid-skulled." Now for the abridgement of the description. . . . "There is no air-bladder, and the nostrils do not open behind into the cavity of the mouth. It has been suggested that the chimeeroids indicate a degenerate group nearly allied to the lung-fishes, which have lost the membrane-bones of the latter, and acquired a sunerficial resemblance to sharks. . . . The living chimseras do not probably exceed five feet in length, and have the soft muzzle of an appendage. The dorsal fins occupy the greater part of the back. . . . The southern chimaera (Callorhynchus antarcticus) from the southern tempest seas, differs from the preceding genus by the presence of a cartilaginous prominence, ending in a flap of skin, on the muzzle, and likewise by the upward direction of the extremity of the tail, which has no fin on the upper surface. A fossil representative of this genus occurs in the Cretaceous rocks of New Zealand.' In the general description of the sub-class Holocephali the following also occurs:— "Further resemblances to the sharks are shown by the presence of claspers in the males, and also by the large size and small number of the single eggs." Who sent me a gruib in a small glass jar with a screw metal top? I have misplaced the note accompanying it. It is, I think, the larva of a beetle. It is spinning a cocoon, and I am going to watch and, if possible, report progress. "Jack's" spider is the one that weaves the silky cocoon, or silky nurseries rather, on manuka and other shrubs. "Constant Reader" sends me the toilowing letter: — , . , Island Block, October 3. Dear " Magister,"—l posted to you yesterday two small fish, which are very plentiful in'the ponds and holes of water about here. Would you kindly tell us their name, and are they fit to eat, as the anglers around hero cannot tell what they are? If any collectors want any specimens of the silverfish (insect) they will soon be about again, and I shall procure specimens for them and send them if they let you know. I shall watch your columns for inquiries. Hoping you will oblige, Constant Reader. Dr Benham says that it Is one of our tew fresh-water fish. It is a minnow called Galaxias attenuates. , „ ... I shall be glad if " Constant Reader will send me a few of the silverfish insect. It readers wish for any, I suggest that when writing to "Constant Reader" for them a penny stamp be enclosed to cover cost of return postage. Not a week passes but what I write several letters—not connected with our columns—supplying information on one subject or another, but mainly educational; it is but seldom, however, that inquirers enclose a stamp for reply. One gives and takes a good deal with friends, but when casual acquaintances and strangers ask for information they should supply the stamp, for stamp expenditure with many is a very appreciable item. William T. Haines, Queenstown, sends the following note: —"Queenstown, October 9. Dear 'Magistor,' —I am sending youa rifleman, sometimes called a thumb-bird. I found it to-day dead in the park. I was looking at the emu (one of the largest birds)," and as I turned to go I saw the rifleman (one of the smallest), and I thought I would send it to you. I have seen them in the bush years ago, but I think they are getting scarce now. It is wonderful how they climb and hang on to the bark of the trees. I have not found their nests; I suppose some of your correspondents have. It is a full-grown bird, and feeds on gnats and sandflies, as you will see by its fine beak. It belongs to the wren family." Up to time of writing, however, the rifleman specimen has not come to hand. I shall be glad of a note or two upon this interesting little bird. It is indexed in " Animals of New Zealand," but no mention is made of it on the page referred to. Nor is it mentioned in the index of Thomson's " A New Zealand Naturalist's Calendar."

I'll try to get "G. E. F's" spider identified for next week.