An Australian Mocking Bird.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2047, 25 March 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

An Australian Mocking Bird.

The hen builds her nest at the foot of the trunk of a tree. <if twigs and bark, lining il witli dried ferns and gras*. and b-aving an

opening in the front of (he (op. She herein deposits the one egg on which (.he sits to incubation, for as an Irish friend said -sic-

only lays one egg at a time,” leaving tie nest daily for her food. The. hill country abounds in ants, from those of the large I.oildog ant, an inch long, to those of a Mmol black variety, and il is upon these insect-, and their larva; that the lyre l/iid chi. Ily subsists. The bird is of a sooty black color, with a body somewhat larger (nan that of a pigeon, but has a tail of graceful form ami beautifully marked. Ordinarily tins tail c, simply carried behind like a pea-oek’s in repose, but if found upon their --dam-inp-beds,” with head erect and tail expanded over the back, they are decidedly handsome. These dancing beds are patches of comparatively clear ground, from one to two yards in diameter, with the fetus trodden smoothly upon the surface, upon which the birds assemble, and prance ami strut to their apparent great delight. The original cry or call of tin l lyre bird is a very simple one, but. bis adopted one partakes of that of every sound he bears : for bo is a wonderful mocker, not only of other birds, such as the parrot, cockatoo, yang yang or magpie, but he will imitate to life the bullock driver with his whip, the step of the teamster's horses, the rasping of a or<.ss-cut saw. and flic blow of the axe and tomahawk, and more wonderful still, more than one of these at the same time, so that the solitary explorer is led to believe lie has suddenly come upon pioneers of civilization in the heart of tne forest.

The male bird is very pugnacious, and this fact is made use of by the settlers to his destruction, for Ids (ad is woith fifteen shillings. Ity imitating one of Ids prominent, calls the hunter can lure him within gunshot: though naturally very shy, he conies to repel a fancied intruder into his domain. His flesh is very dark colored and c arse, and only used as food in oa-e of necessity. Many attempts have been made to roar the birds in captivity, and I hare is a report that one has been sueees>ful. The sound of bis call s i alters in propoition as bis tail is in tail feather or indilferemly ornamented, that, hunters can judge from that whether or no any individual laid is worth pursuit.

The most unwholesome keepsake is ihn tooth that keeps aching.

A Naples correspondent gives the following account of tbo daily life of tho I'ope : The Pope, now seventy- sight years ot ape, leads a very regular life,and is in a fair condition of health. At C. a. m. he celebrates mass in hit private chapel. At 7 he takes breakfast, consisting of oboealate and milk, with sometimes raw eggs beaten up. Immediately afterwards be receives the visits of bis court, and Cardinal Jaeobini reports what has ocenrred in the world, and gives him an account of the letters received on Papal business. Besides these odicial letters, others arrive in great numbers from all parts of the world, moat of them being from priests, missionaries, monks, and nuns, while others contain earns of money from penitents, and many are petitions for a blessing, pecuniary aid, or advice. After these letters, in all languages, have been translated, and their contents briefly reported to the Pope, they are placed in the Papal archives, Hundreds of telegrams also arrive each day, the greater part asking for the benediction <■/ "''" motih, which naturally often reaches its destination after the petitioner is already dead. For its telegraphic correspondence the Vatican makes use of a numeral cypher. The greater part of the morning is ihus passed in business. At 1 o'clock the Pops dines, and afterwards retires to his private room until the heat of the day is past. At f> v. m be repairs to the Vatican garden, where his carriage awaits him. At the prettiest spot in this garden has been rrect-d an elegant kios(i!ie in Eastern style, an 1 there the Pope remains lor some time, taking coffee and other refresbnunts, and surrounded hy bin intimate friends. Tho Mover, ation nine on *he topics of the day. and o i tho ..r: iolei conc> mine the Pope ot I’tpal politics that appear in the Italian ot foreign journals. P r , cicely at sunlit the party breaks up, and Uu; Pope returns to the palace, his physician having advised him never to remain out of doers sunset on ecount of the nv.'aria which prevails in the valley below Monte M mo. At about '.I o'clock, after praying on his knees for half an hour, his Holiness retires to bed.

A novel investigation bur. been made by Mr. A. W. Clajiln, in Kit-laud, a’ !l ' the thickness ot rails clouds, I’l.l-a* a cl.ui.-i is two thousand fret thick, ho »ays, it seldom yields rain, and if it dop\ 'P dnijn arc small and yi-dl ,■ nt'y. Lin-r-r <’ ropt -omr from Clouds which ate b”twren two ihr-unsnd and four thousand f- et thirl., .vl-i!' i. thickness of »•’* thousand hr! is n<v> -ism) !■' p 1 •ucc bail. These observations apply only to iOßimi shower clouds. 516