Scientific Discoveries.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 29 April 1910, Page 4

Scientific Discoveries.

OR PROSPECTS THAT PETEBED

(By C.A.W. in " Waimnto Advertiser.")

To some c«f us has b£en vouchsafed that ec static which a<vcompanies scientific discovery. Perhaps not so important as that which has brought Mr W'ragge once more into the tierce white light that beats upon a lantern sheet, hut to the discoverer quite as important. In tho days of youth semi-scien-tific studies claimed most of my leisure hours. . ..otognipliy was also active at the timo.

One evening, el'o departing for the printing ollice, whence duty called, 1 set my camera to catch the full moon. Weturning home long alter midnight and fired with the amateur's zeal, I developed the plate. To my unbounded astonishment the moon was "not present"--but, wonder of wonders, a smooth lino was seared across the plate---nothing less than a* shooting star of the first magnitude had had the temerity to ventii- e out and was caught in the act! Visions of fame and fortune effectually banished with open arms by til.* Geographical, Zoological and other learned societies —I. a mere youth, had done this thing. UnWoute lly early the operation of printing from the negative was concluded. Shortly afterwards it was in the hands of a friend whose scientific attainments were already much thought of in the small town upon which I was to shed so much lustre. He eyod it casually, lueard mv explanation about missing the moon and hitting a comet, or so mothing, and then casually remarked: "That's the moon! You've forgotten that it is moving all the time and. only a camera which moves in the same direction at the same rate of speed can photograph it properly.'' There was no excuse for dropping the plate, and less for the vindictive stamp of my heel —but we all have our moments of weakness.

Mv second startling discovery occurred on the Upper Waitaki. While killing rabbits on t.lie riverbed, and time at the local hotel, I heard of interesting Maori writings to be seen on the rock caves in the vicinity. A friend who was relieving .stationmuster Agreed to join me, and wo pored over the strange red a>nd black d<aubs with great interest. From various indications I concluded that a number of signs pointed significantly to a certain spot, ami suggested that wo unearth the treasure. Accordingly, after n hurried lunch, we took pickaxes, spades .and shovels, and commenced the unaccustomed toil. When about three feet down on the floor of the cave mv friend came upon a limestone slab. We worked with feverish energy to dislodge it. knowing that underneath we would find a skeleton buried in Maori fashion, head on knees. A moment later it was "Alas, poor Yorick," and the skull rolled at our feet. It was that of an old m>nn. the stumps of the teeth absolutely worn down to the sockets as we can never hope to wear them now. Tn the top of the skull was a ragged break which showed how his death h>ad. been caused. Nothing In the grave but a few flint flav scrapers and these soon crumbled to dust. Wo gathered up the complete skeleton and took it to the hotel, where we "tossed" for possession. although the find was l ight fully mine. My friend won, and, as agreed. 1 picked a bone a.s a memento. Really I picked two—the shin bones—and liad then 011 my wall for years. Recently, in response to my wife's prejudices, I buried them- with due reverence and with a sad memory of the fine young fellow who helped to unearth them, and himself passed the veil within a very brief time. Tlio skeleton is (or was) in the N'orth Otago High School. While on discovery bent we vainly

dug For Maori axes and mats near another set of rock writings, 'and failed hecau.se Mr Hamilton, the well-known authority on Maori matters, had been there before us, and had secured a cartload. explored every point of interest in the neighbourhood, including " The (Earthquakes," a curious spot, where the top of a, hill had apparently fallen into a .subterranean cave, and left great limestone blocks piled up in the most weird fashion. Although right in the middle of the hills, this place was prolific in curios—such as sharks' teeth and shells- while far up out of reach were great .shapes which might or might not have been the swordfish and other monsters of the deep we imagined. Here the great discovery comes in. One of the natives, roused from •apathy by our apparent interest, stated that "old mam " down the river, had found a curious animal "lasfc week" in a sandbank. It had sinews, and fle.sli and a beaklike a. bird's. That very afternoon I set out on the lfi-mile ride to this Mecca, and arrived in record time. The old man was very courteous, offeree! refreshments, showed his fine array of greenstone axes and meres found near-by, and then reverently produced the treasure! It Avar, in a corset box. There was tin* yellow skin, there the 'bird-like beak. A year ago, the old man said, he found it in a sandbank after a flood. He knew it was something extraordinary tint had neglected to verify his suspicions. T offered to send it under safe conduct to the most learned man New Zealand possessed. 'Hie old man (f prefer to forget his name) assured me that professional men were jealous and might doubt the authenticity of th'o find. Together we agreed that it was an arclmeopteryx.

Hero wo 11acl before us a real, well preserved body of the earliest known flying creature—could Ave allow base jealousy to creep in? My entertainer suggested <lelirately that his scientific interest was less keen than his greed for gold, but lie named £20 as a possible minimum, and no business was done. That nrchaeopliervx was in mr mind for years. Tn other lands and on the vasty deep my thoughts' centred on that one lone relic of the past mouldering in a. corset box near the flrear Wnitaki. Then fate decreed another visit to the Maerewhetiua, and T hastened to call on the original discoverer. Tn the fullness of his heart lie presented me with the corset box wherein reposed the now much dried discovery. Less than a week afterwards a medical friend and T were examining the relic. Whil'o disclaiming much zoological knowledge, he was of opinion that the specimen was a true and faithful copy of the ■archaeopteryx as depicted in •his Encyclopaedia. His advice was to send it to Dnnedin for the judgment of a learned professor, whose' identity I disclose not, further than to mention that his Wife is an authority on earthworms. Tho box was despatched by registered post, the long, slow days passed, and then came the expected lettor. "Dear W——, Your scientific specimen is indeed >n wonder — a wonder you didn't know better, briefly. it is the sternum or breastbone of the common or Canterbury sheep." The specimen, broken rudelv hi halves, accompanied the letter. There the wretched thing lay — unmasked and unshamwl—<a simple breastbone, with few pounds of fat moulded round it into the weird shape of a prehistoric bird. T can see its Wicked grin yet—cam remember the saw-like t'eeth it appeared to possess,

which hail fired my imagination for years. When I kicked the miserable deception into the yard, science lost one devotee whose grasp had beeiv torn from at least two rungsof the Ladder of Faitiro.