All Sorts

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 28, 11 July 1907, Page 38

All Sorts

An ostrich feather if held upright will be seen to be perfectly equal on both sides, the stem dividin&'it exactly in the cerotre. In .other feathers the S'tejn® are found to be more or less on one side. Gentleman (to small boy, who is standing afc a funeral) : ' I say, my boy, who is it that's dead ? ' Small Boy : ' The man in the coffin, sir? 1 Mr. John D. Hooker, of Los Angeles, has provided 1 the necessary funds for the purchase of a reflecting telescope, of -„which the mirror will be lOOin^ in diameter and' the focal length 50ft. The enormous stride contemplated by 'the erection of such a ' telescope will -be best apprehended if we compare Its dimensions with the largest instruments, of the kind yet cfoonpleted. Hitherto 60in. has been the limit of .diameter. The smallest coin now current in Europe, and the one having the least value, is- the Greek lepton. The lepton is, according to the decimal monetary system, current in all " countries belonging to the Latin Union. .Some idea of,, this valueless little disc of copper may be gathered from <fche fact that the lepton is the onebundredth part of a drachma.- . The, Greek drachm*, usually-, passes for the same value that a franc piece * does. ' " ' . ' • A tramp rapped at the door of a house the other day and asked the woman if she could spare him. a piece of bread. • . 'No, I can't,', replied- the woman; 'and if you knew me you would not have come here".' „' Oh, and who are you ? T asked the tramp. r I'm a "policeman's' wife, and if he were in "he would take you.' ' Well,' repiied the tramp, ' when he took you he'd take anybody.' When you come- to think, of it, we are always making remarks which are perfectly ' obvious.' A young wife said to her husband : ' I can't make you out, George. Sometimes you appear really manly, and sometimes you really are quite effeminate. How do you account for it' ?' 'Oh,' said George, 'that's obvious. ! _ It's- hereditary. One-half of- -my ancestors , were male ■" and the other half female.' Now,' come to think of ,it, that was obvious " enough. So was Mary's remark when hpr mistress, who had striven in vain for some weeks to cure her of a . bad habit, said, ' Mary, Mary, I declare your mouth is open again,' ' Yessum,' said Mary, ' I opened it.' There are many scientists and men who are accustomed to deal 'With- animals who give authentic instances 'of having seen animals shed tears as a result of some strong emotion. Humboldt tells us that he had a monkey which wept when it was seized with fear. Rengger says that he has often seen the eyes of a small South' African monkey fill with tears when he was" deprived of , some coveted object or made very much afraid* -of something. Darwin cites ther case of a monkey from Borneo in a zoological garden •which was frequently moved to tears when grieved" or pitied. Elephants have also been known' to show "their grief " "in this way. During an elephant hunt' "iff Ceylon ome of the spectators relates that many of the elephant's when bound shlowed no feeling except grief/ and,, remained perfectly motionless while the tears "sOTeamjed^ from their eyes. Female elephants are often affected?in*.-the same way when their young are taken?- from -them.- X The weeping willows which fringe, the" Avon in the vicinity of Christchuroh are < a very .pretty sighi in the summer, and are the admiration of visitors -to the 9J ty ,-,?* • x he - Plains - ,1* is . no* generally known that the Christchurch weeping willows have \U sprung from one of the; trees over. Napoleon's grave at St. Helena. At the time of Napoleon's cap-tivity at St, Helena there, was a wiaiow growing near a spring, under which tree the ex-Emperor had a seat,' where be spent many thours. About the time of his deaih a storm shattered the willow m pieces, and after his inter ment Madame BertrandJ plan-ted several cuttinW on his grave. It was from 1 one of the finest of thesa trees that the French settlers brought- the cutting from which sprang the parent weeping willow of Canterbury in German Bay, Akaroa. The weeping willow was introduced into England from Asia Minor? The fait cut. Pope the poet, who planted one. in his ganiew at sss&srisStii. beoame " the *»*<*** A 4*