TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13337, 1 February 1909, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

There are certain Th* primitive aids to Photographer man's business or Pigeon. pleasure which no up-to-date discovery avails to supplant. No mechanical agent, for example, has yet superseded the sheep-dog; and, with all our telegraphic and other advantages, we have no idea of giving up the services of the carrier pigeon. The first messagebearer in the world's history only accommodates himself, as time goes on, to any new demands. From conveying ohve branches he proceeds to siege usefulness in time of war, to assistant journalism, to parcel post work on a small scale, and finally to going forth, equipped with all necessary apparatus as a camera fiend. The idea of this arose with a certain Dr. Neubronner, of Cronberg, when a messenger pigeorif failing to be punctual in returning, was condemned to carry a miniature camera, as a means of detecting, whore it might have stayed by the way. The first pictures taken were so satisfactory that this bird-camera, with various improvements, was patented by Dr. Neubronner; and the pigeon photographer, helped by an automatic action opening the shutter at regular intervals, oan secure a series of records which only need magnifying to be of great interest to the human photographer at home. At a recent lecture pigeon pictures were shown of the late Emperor i< redonck s park, so strictly inaccessible to the public, that this success was judged to demonstrate in striking fashion "the possibility of using carrier pigeons for obtaininc pictures of beleaguered forte." Tho German War Dβ-

partment promptly became alert, and entrusted Dr. Neubronner's dove-cote [ with the task of taking views from two kilometers distance of the Tegel waterworks, "which are quite similar to a fortress," and again the results were highly successful. The invention of the air-ship, oven, is not to reduce the value of the pigeon-photographer. It is prophesied that air-ships doing scout duty in war will only carry the pigeons to a convenient height, then launch them over the enemy to do their work and return, while the balloons themselves remain safely beyond range of projectiles. "Two inventions would

viius serve to supplement on© another." There is already the "Transportable Dove-cote, ,, fitted to a vehicle which can be ueed as a dark-room : and when pigeons do all our snap-shotting from a height we shall be very literally accurate in talking of "a birdVeve view."

The expert poisoners of Specialists mediaeval Italy would in have been delighted to Poison. make the acquaintance of the Sacai, a tribe inhabiting the deep forests of the Malay Peninsula* According to a writer in "Chambers," the Sacai aro specialists in poison. Their one occupation is hunting, ami they employ poisons of various kinds to kill their prey. In the tropical forests poisonous pJants are found in abundance, so much co that the traveller or orchid-eeeker has to bo most careful. The odours from come cause serious illnesses, and a mere

touch front others causes skin diseases and painful swellings. With the Sacai poisons are ac common a subject of conversation as the weather is with us, and tho discovery of a now kind; or combination is hailed as a highly xivI>ortant event. Poisons arc carefully prepared according to the resisting power of the object. A hunter never thinks of -wasting a powerful poison on a -weak aniinaj, and must study to bring down game to be used for food with poisons that will not affect him and his family. If a stranger does not satisfy the Sacai of his friendly intentions, a poisoned arrow is his lot. But the Sacai is described as a thorough gentleman, in spite of his penchant tor poisons. He never tortures, and never sends a poisoned arrow after a flying foe. The relations between husband and wife are almost ideal. Hβ is fond of his children and his children are fond of him, he is a staunch friend in time of need, and he is kind to tie sick and fond of animals. The Sacai customs have many peculiarities. Instead of living in villages, these people buiki their nuts at somo distance apurt from each other. Their life is so communistic that they walk into each others houses and eat each other's food without, the slightest ceremony and without even returning thanks. They have ha rdly any system of government, disliking control as much as hard work.

If wealthy people Art in search of picand tures by famous the (Millionaire. artists road news-

papers and magazines to any extent, they ought to be oa their guard against the iviles of the forger. The latest of many warnings on tlie subject, an article in the American "Success," is. the most vigorously -written of any we have come across. "If Corot had -worked seventyfivo hours a day for seventy-five years, he couldn't have painted all the Carots that are floating about the world"— such is tho opinion of a well-known French expert, and , apparently it is not exaggerated. The demand for fine pictures is so great that the temptation to forgo is irresistible. The venerable Ziem says he has painted ten thousand pictures, but the demand for his works is unsated. It is said that an artist in Paris has been painting pictures in Ziem's manner for years, and has now a great stock of them, which he is holding until Ziem. dies. When that happens, there will be Ziom sales all over Europe and America, and these precious "fakes" will brrag 20,000, 50,000, even 100,000 francs a piece I When- there are ten thousand genuine Ziems about tho world, who wilJ dispute their genuineness? Ziem himself is well aware of tho practice, but says there is no use doing anything more then telling the purchaser ho lias been robbed, and calling the dealer a scoundrel. America, he says, is full of forged Ziems. The writer cites some amazing instances of fraud. A Ixmdon dealer received one day from a "faker" a drinking scene, signed "Jan Steen, 1672,". and eaid to the artist, "This is really so well done that I don't see why you shouldn't sign it yourself." The artist, greatly flattered, painted out the mastor's name, and painted in. his own. When the picture reached New York the Customs officials wexe informed anonymously that an effort was being made to smuggle into America, where there is a. high duty on works of art, a. Dutch masterpiece worth 40,000 dollars, by conoeealing the master's signature under that of an obscure artist. The officials took alarm, expert® were summoned, and the signature of "Jan Stoen, 1672," -was discovered—precisely as the wily dealer expected. Three days later, on the strength of the Customs valuation and the advertisement it had received, the picture was sold to a Western millionaire for 60,000 dollars!