PATER’S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3590, 2 January 1923, Page 61

PATER’S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

WAYFARING MEED. Oh, the little Roman donkeys go trudging up and down, Hither, yon, and crosswise, a-through the stately town, Their merry bells a-tinkle, their tassels red atoss— Eh, were Rome to lose her donkeys, ’twould be a fearsome loss ! Full fortunate the family that owns a donkey stout! Few loads are ever high enough for him to fuss about; Melons to overflowing may fill the wobbly cart — Up mounts that numerous family, and gaily off they start! Sometimes suave Signor Donkey receives a sounding thwack—t What use? It lands unheeded .upon his rusty back! He knows he’s going fast enough his sage ears signal “No!” His driver sighs—and onward, at the same old pace they go ! With philosophic calm he plods along day after day, For he has a sense of humour, and he has a bunch of hay Tied to one thill convenient, for him to munch at will—“An’ thees,” explains Pierto, “mak’ heem not min’ da hill.” MORAL. All meet for faithful service keep not till close of day, But cheer the patient toiler while on the toilsome way! —Minnie Leona Upton. * * * NINETEEN-TWENTY-THREE. What shall we do with the New Year? To each of us this is a personal question, and to no one of us more than to the other. To most at the moment the season is one of pleasure and festivity, of sport, of freedom, and the open air. It is right that it should be so. Let us have all the fun and frolic possible, but let ns not forget that there are other things calling in their due time for serious thought and action. May a happy holiday be the portion of all my readers; likewise may good health—the greatest of all earthly blessings—be yours; and accept my cordial good wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year. TARZANS IN REAL LIFE. Many people who have read “Tarzan of the Apes” or seen it on the films have considered that the whole story was merely a, romance—a freak of the* novelist’s weird and fantastic imagination. But here again truth is stranger than fiction, and many cases almost as strange as Tarzan’s have been related by reliable travellers. Some years ago Sir Roderick Murchison gave some extracts from the journal of the Hon. Captain Francis Egerton, R.N., who had travelled in India. It relates to a number of children, natives of Oude, who are stated, on the authority of Colonel Sleeman, to have been carried away and brought up by wolves. “The colonel is acquainted with five instances of this, in two of which he has seen the children, and knows the circumstances connected with their recapture from the animals.’’

Wolves are stated to be very numerous in certain parts of India, and children are constantly being carried off by them. Most of these are no doubt devoured, but some have been brought up, to a certain age, by their captors. Two of the King of Oude’s sowars, or mounted gens d’armes, when riding along the banks of the Goomptje River, observed three animals come down to drink. Two were evidently young wolves, but the third was more like some other animal, and when captured was found to be in reality a small naked boy. He was on all fours like his companions, had callosities on his knees and elbows, and bit and violently in resistiner capture He was brought up in Lucknow’’ where he lived for some time. He was quite unable to articulate words, but had a dog-like intellect. Quick at understanding signs, and so on. Another bov is stated to have been found under the same circumstances, and hved with two English people for some time. He learnt at last to pronounce the name of a lady who was kind to him ; hut though he evinced some degree of affection, his intellect was always clouded, and more like the instinct of a dog than the mind of a human being. The Earl of Ellesmere mentioned that a storv. identical in all its particulars, was related to him in the Highlands bv an old forester of the “Reav country.” There is a Gaelic tradition that wolves so abounded in Sutherlandshire at one time that it was usual to burv the dead in the Island of Handy, to avoid desecra tion of the graves. Professor Owen states that he dees not see very great imnrohabilitv in these statements being true, and Sir R. Munch 1 son observes that, if substantiated, we mav return to the belief of our childhood that Romulus and Remus were really suckled by a wolf. * « * * MUSIC HATH CHARMS. Soothing the savage breast is apparently not the least remarkable influence which music mav exert. Is-Tak Walton, who lived in a time before science revealed to us the wonders of Nature, would have scorned to believe some of the stories of ‘ Queer fish ” which have been told us by serious scientists. He would have doubted the fact that oysters can hear and utter sounds, and that fish can climb trees and live in woods. Dr Day assures us that some fishes have voices which may express fear,

anger, danger, and conjugal endearment. The corrina, a fish found in the Tagus, emits sounds resembling the vibrations of a deep-toned bell, and other fishes give out purring noises which can be heard from 20 fathoms under water. In the Island of Borneo, there is as singing fish, which sticks to the bottom of boats, and which regales the occupants with sounds varying between those of a Jew s harp and an organ; and a sole in'the waters of Siam attaches itself to the bottom of boats and gives out sonorous music.

Pilchards are fond of music. In the summer months large pilchard seines, manned by some 18 hands, were in full swing fishing in 'Mevagissey Bay. One of them had singers of the choir belonging to tile Methodist Chapel among the crew, and one evening when pilchards were scarce and no fish reported by the 60 craft watching the sea, the two boats of this seine closed together to practise music for the coming Sunday service. Instantly pilchards were seen springing up out of the water around them. The stringed instruments were quickly dropped, and in a few minutes the men were prepared to enclose the fish, but when the sound ceased no more fish could be discovered

As no fish appeared for some time, the music practice was resumed, and then the boats ■were surrounded by pilchards. To keep them around some of the instruments continued to play, while the men got a big haul. Though these two boats got a splendid shoal, it was discovered in the morning that no other boat in the bay had icaught any. When Lieutenant Daldorf, of the Dutch East India Service, reported to Sir Joseph Banks that he had caught a fish on the stem of a palm tree sft above the ground, and still mounting upwards, even Sir Joseph’s acceptance of his tale did not preserve that officer from an outburst of universal mockery. It was asked, with reason, what on earth the fish expected to find useful for its purpose at the top of a palm tree? The earliest reporter of this fact, Abouzeyd, who wrote in the ninth century, had a sufficient explanation. He was not bothered with science. The creature went un to feed upon the fruit, and when satisfied it returned to the water. But this would not do for the savants even 100 years ago. They pointed out that Percha scandens lives on water insects, that it could not and would not eat fruit, and that if its fins and gillcovers be so framed that it might possibly climb a tree, they are so framed also that it could not make even an effort to descend. Their objections are not yet answered. But the habit of climbing is admitted whatever the motive.