The Star. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 1898. NOTES AND NOTIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6115, 23 March 1898, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 1898. NOTES AND NOTIONS.

A curious circumstance occurred in Christchurch the other night. A sober, elderly, hard-working old colonist, the father of a grown-up family, was engaged in carting*a load of broken metal into the backyard of a well-known Christchurch resident. Whilst so employed he was attacked by the house dog, which incontinently, and without even a warning yelp, removed part of his nether garment and somewhat less than the proverbial pound of flesh. The injured man soon recovered, but in the course of a troublous dream, he again felt the dog biting him, and had a particularly fine and distinct view of the dog's head. Mindful of former injuries, he clenched his fist, and aimed one stolid, soul-stirring, blow at his aggressor. Roused by the force he had put into the blow, he awakened to the fact that he had injured the nose and severely blackened an eye of the wife of his bosom, with whom, during more than a quarter of a century of married life, he had never exchanged an angry word. Tableau !

A man in Paris has been making a good deal of money exhibiting a curious animal in the cafes chantant and such places. It was a very queer little animal, and the • alert Parisians were willing enough to drop I the "petit sou" for a sight of it. Still, I look as they would, none could determine on the creature's species. It was interesting, but it was baffling, and the exhibitor coined money. One day, however, a dog i chanced to follow v curious beholder into the cafe chantant.' Immediately the wonderous animal humped its back like a diminutive camel and began to hiss and spit ! The mystery was solved ! It was a shaved cat. So that is another show closed. The exhibitor made money while the problem lasted, and no one denies that - a man who could shave a cat deserves some reward.

i A somewhat remarkable discovery of old English coins lias been made at Penicuik, near Edinburgh. Owing to the action of a mole, 270 coins of Edward I. period, all carefully arranged in rouleaux, have been unearthed. The greater number arc silver pennies and halfpennies minted botw..n 1272 and 1307 at London, Canterbury, Bristol, Newcastle, Durh_m and

Dublin. . Two -of the ooins are of Alexander ; the Third, a farthing of whose reign was sold not long ago for _B__. The Crown J authorities intend to have the^ collection j preserved .*,_-», and numismatists believe i that it will throw further light on the _ efforts made by Edward I. to put tlie » realm's mintage on a proper basis. _ The Board of Trinity College, London, ] i has decided, in compliance with tho con- , tinued and unanimous demand of the Aus- { tralian and New Zealand centres, ro hold the College higher (professional) examina- _ tions •of the practical division at certain of the important centres in these colonies in ] 1899. The examination subjects are piano- j forte, singing, organ, violin and orchestral • instruments, and successful candidates will , receive the positions of Associate-Piani.sr, , (A.T.C.L. Pianist), &c, Certificated Pianist, ; &c, and (subject to successful theory examination) the new position of Li-centiate-Pianist.(L.T.C.L. Pianist), &c, The Registrar-General of New Zealand tells us that the results of the last throe censuses in respect of the number of bachelors of twenty years and upwards. and spinsters of fifteen years and upwards in the colony show some iuteiv.t,iu_; features. While, in 1886, there was mv excess of bachelors over the spiiistwr^ amounting to 12,339 men ; in 1891" tho census gave an excess of 3497 only, showing that _ process of equalisation had he on [ going on. But, by 1896, not only had tho preponderance of the male element been lost, but an excess of spinsters ovor bachelors was reported amounting to 1780 women. It is curious to notice how differently the numbers for the provincial districts have been affected by the process in operation. An excess of bachelors was proserved in Auckland, Taranaki, Hawku's Bay, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson and Westland from 1886 ,to 1896, but iv all these case, except __ran_ki it diminished very much. In Canterbury, however, au excess of spinsters was found in JUSSii o, 910, which increased to 2516 in iß9i, _nd to 3997 in 1896 ; while in Otago an execsof 2359 bachelors in 1886 changed-, to. an excess of 773 spinsters in 1891, which increased to 2066 in 1896. These two important districts of the South Island havo been losing large numbers of bachelors by departures to the North Island.