NEWS AND NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 January 1929, Page 5

NEWS AND NOTES.

ON THE DOWN GRADE. An old lady walked into a Christchurch poulterer's the other morning and paused before a gleaming white array of turkeys (says a Christchurch exchange). Gently pinching the linn hreast- of one of them with the air of a connoisseur, she inquired, the price. “'The price, madam,” said the counterliaiid, “is 2s fill a lb—about £2 lor the bird.” “Gracious me,” said the old lady, “I think I’ll take ti nibbit, thank you.” A WEIGHTY “WATCH.” Passers-by in Queen Street, Auckland, who were lucky enough to observe the incident gained a good deal of entertainment from the spectacle of a charming young lady who opened her handling and consulted a fullsized alarm clock. The explanation was simple. The clock had been repaired, the young lady was taking it home. There was no -big clock in sight, and she wanted to know the time. Satisfied that her trusty friend was clicking steadily, she replaced it in the handbag, powdered her nose, and went serenely on her homeward way.

THREE MILKS OF MOTHS. Thousands of moths, having tho appearance of a large cloud, were seen at Riverside recently, says the “Ashburton Guardian.” A motorist passing through the district at about lndfpast seven said the moths extended over a distance of about' three miles above the road and surrounding paddocks. The cloud of insects was more dense in the vicinity of trees, and appeared to be travelling toward the sea. Several of them flew into the motor car. They were each about an inch in length, and white in colour.

A PLEA FOR. THE WICK A. A plea, for the preservation of that most interesting .bird, the weka, is made by Mr 10. V. Sanderson, secretary of the Now Zealand Native Bird Protection Society. “The weka,” writes Mr Sanderson, “is considered by those who have given the matter study and careful observation to be one, if not the most important, of our indigenous birds that attend to the destruction and therefore control or pests inhabiting the ground. Careful tests of this bird’s habits will demonstrate how extremely active he is in destroying snails, wood lice, and all manner of pests. With his strong beak hi- is able to turn over quite large pieces of wood and debris in order to gain access, to the concealed food, while in the forests his destruction of rats is highly praised.”