WORLD-WIDE NOTES.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 29, Issue 42, 1 June 1917, Page 2

WORLD-WIDE NOTES.

I " RESULTS OF LIFE IN DARKNESS

A scientist kept goldfishes in a j roomy tank and with plenty of food | but in absolute darkness. He kept it up for over three years, and then observed the modifications that had occurred in the fish. The colour first, became black, but after the second year it became golden again, and the ! reason for this is interesting. In the, first instance the dark pigment-cells j spread out and covered up the subjacent layer of crystals which gives the goldfish its golden sheen. In the second instance the phagocytes devoured the dark pigment cells, and thus re-exposed the golden layer. The changes in the eye were even more interesting. The structure of the eye was completely altered. The fish became totally blind. The experiment suggests that an individual fish imprisoned in a perfectly dark cave would become blind. But it does not throw any direct light on the origin of a blind race of fishes in caves. BIRDS THAT CAN TALK. The raven, the jackdaw, the magpie and the jay, may all be trained to imitate sounds and to utter words and even sentences distinctly ; but more familiar to most people are the talking birds of the parrot tribe, which acquire the gift of speech in far greater perfection than any other of their species. The voice of the parrot is also much more human in its tones; the raven is too hoarse, the jay and/the magpie are too shrill to be a good imitation vof the human voice ; but there are modulations in the parrot’s notes when speaking that are sometimes absolutely uncanny in their weird resemblance to the “human voice divine.” This superiority is' due to the construction of the beak, its tongue, and head. The parrot, too, has a wonderful memory, and rarely forgets what it has once thoroughly learned. CARRYING HAND-GRENADES. Grenade fighting has become of the utmost importance in modern trench warfare, and there are a dozen varieties of these weapons, both for hand fighting and for firing from rifles. Whenever there is an attack by either side a number of men are specially told of! as grenade-throwers. These men are trained to throw their grenades quickly and accurately, and keep steady showers bursting among the enemy. In a charge the grenade-throwers are usually well in the rear, and carry their grenades in special bags or panniers. Bach man has two panniers wrapped round him. The panniers are made of strong canvas, and hold ten or a dozen grenades. These grenades, by the way, have each a long piece of webbing attached to them, which unrolls when the missile is thrown, and causes the grenade to fall dead downwards and so ensure explosion; “TIRED” RAZORS; Do yoU know why we dip a razor in hot water before we begin shaving ? and do you know why some ignorant men say a razor is “tired ? Well, this is all due to the fact that the razor is a saw, not a knife, and it works like a saw, not like a knife. Examined under a microscope, its edge, that looks so smooth to the naked eye, is seen to have innumerable and fine saw teeth. When these teeth get clogged with dirt all the honing and stropping in the world will do no good—the razor is dull and nothing will sharpen it. Then is the time the ignorant say it is tired and stop using it, but the wise know it is only clogged. The ■wise, though, don’t suffer their razors to get clogged.' They dip them in hot water before they use them, and thus the teeth are kept clean. It is because the razor is a saw that lather is used on the beard. The lather doesn’t soften the beard, as so many people think ; it stiffens it, so that it will present a firm and resisting surface to the razor.

HONOURS OF WAR. The expression “with the honours of war,’’ which is sometimes used in connection with the surrender of troops—such as when a besieged party capitulates—is usually construed to include the right to march with colours displayed, drums beating, bayonets fixed, and swords drawn ; but of course the actual details of such arrangements are generally a matter of agreement beforehand between the victor and vanquished. In the Franco-German War the garrison of Belfort, under Colonel Den-fort-Rochereau, who surrendered under instructions from his Government were, in recognition of their brave defence, allowed free withdrawal with the honours of war, and they were permitted to take away their eagles, colours, arms, horses, carriages, the military telegraph apparatus, the baggage of the officers, the kits of the men, and the archives of the fortress.