INTERESTING ITEMS.

Waikato Independent, Volume XXII, Issue 2588, 24 August 1922, Page 7

INTERESTING ITEMS.

Until 1555, farthings were made of silver. Guns were used by the English at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. One herring will produce between 20,000 and 30,000 eggs in a year. Hearths in the .centre of the room were built as late as the 16th century. Linoleum, a preparation of gronud cork and linseed oil, was invented in 1860. The flrst flight of 100 miles by aeroplane was made' by Henry Farman in 1909. Salt applied to stains on dishes removes them immediately. , Payments due to barristers are not recoverable in a court of law. Football in various forms has been played for nearly 700 years in England. The cards containing finger-prints at Scotland Yard number a quarter of a million. Plaice and other flat fish in early life are symctrical, and swim like round fish. The “life” of a two-shilling-piece in circulation is estimated at about 45\ years. Music, poetry, painting, sculpture, and architecture are usually included in the term “fine arts.” Ferrets usually show no affection for their owners, and are quite likely to bite the hand that feeds them. Barbed wire may only he used lawfully if it falls entirely within the land boundaries of the person erecting it. , In Siam a certain small fresh-water fish is specially bred for its fighting powers, contests and matches being arranged. The buzzing sound made by flies is produced by the rapid vibration of the wings, which may amount to 600 beats a second. Extra fingers are not unusual. In one case on record there were twelve fingers on one hand and thirteen on the other. Snakes of the viper tribe have their poison fangs channelled so that the poison is conveyed to. the deepest part of the wound.