FACTS AND FANCIES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IX, Issue 747, 20 February 1915, Page 3

FACTS AND FANCIES.

Curious Pagan Relic. One of the most curious relics ol paganism remaining- in a Christian country is the gigantic black stone figure of a woman which is to be seen vn a forest of the District of Morbihan, in Brittany. It is known as the "Black Venus," but probably dates further back than- the time when the Greeks and Romans worshipped that goddess. Antiquaries assert that this figure belongs to the age of the ser-pent-worshippers, one of whose subterranean temples is in the neighbourhood. This would make the figure far older than the Christian era. The statute is that of a huge, uncouth woman, with a sullen, angry countenance, her form enveloped ia a loo.:e mantle. The superstitious Bre:ons have always worshipped the figure, asserting that it has pdwer over the weather and the crops. If the idol is neglected they declare that the grain' dies on the ear,. and is the anger of the "black woman" over Morbihan. Precious stone .vlyths. All preci.ous stones are purified by a bath in honey. It is. said that the agate quenches thirst, and, if put into the mouth, allays fever. Amber is a cure for sore throats and glandular swellings. Amethyst banishes the desire for drink. Cat's-eye is a charm against witchcraft. Coral is a talisman against thunder and evils by floods and field. Diamonds produce . somnambulism and spiritual' ecstasy. Emeralds will promote friendship and constancy. Garnets preserve health and joy. The onyx is apt to cause terroi to the wearer, as well as ugly dreams. . Opals are fajtal to love, and bring discord to giver and receiver. Sapphires- impel the wearer to all good works. The topaz is said to be a preventive to lung trouble, imparts strength, and promotes digestion.

The Chameleon's Tongue. For the purpose 6f Securing its prey the chameleon is furnished with a very remarkable tongue. This organ can be thrust out to a wonderful extent, and when projected to the utmost is several inches in length,' and about half the thickness of an ordinary leadpencil. The tip is thickened, and at the end it forms a very shallow cup, which is moistened with a secretion nearly as adhesive as birdlime. When the chameleon sees a fly settled within reach, it first slowly protrudes its tongue as if it were taking aim, then the tongue is ' quickly darted forward and as quickly drawn back again, carrying &ith it the fly. The aim is always true. The chameleon uses its tongue for drinking as well as eating. It does not lap water out of a vessel; but if the branch on which it sits be wetted, the animal greedily licks up. the drops as they trickle down. It seems to be a thirsty animal, and most of those that die in confinement probably die of thirst, their owners not knowing' how to supply them with drink,, : «», , Life in the Congo.

Native agriculture in the Congo is of the most rudimentary type. A piece of bush adjacent to the village is selected, and the smaller trees and tangle of vegetation cut down and left to dry, after which -they are burnt. Manioc, bananas, and plantains are then planted «nfter a perfunctory hoeing of the surface ground. . Nature does the rest. Rotation crops, manuring, and deep cultivation have no place in the farming regime, L and what labor is required is usually provided bv women. The only industries prosecuted by the native resulting in the production of exportable products are those of rubber and gum copal collecting, palm oil manufacture, and hunting, which has for its objective the ivory of the elephant. His methods in all of these are of the crudest, as is also the method of extracting the oil from the palm fruit crude and wasteful, the valuable inner nut being invariably thrown aside and w r Equally undiscriminating is his chase of the elephant; he traps or spears regardless of whether it is young or old, male or female, of commercial value or not.

Dentistry 2,000 Years Ago. The art of dentistry, most people will be surprised to learn, was practised in a liighly-developed form in the distant past. Actual specimens of ancient dentistry are to b© seen in various European museums. The most interesting of these specimens, because the oldest, is a Phoenician example of bridge work, found in a tomb at Sidori. It is now in thte Louvre at Paris, and consists of several teeth united by gold wire. Two of thorn are transplanted teeth, firmly fastened by the wire to those that are fixed in the jaw. In the museum at Corneto may b<§ seen a number of marvellous specimens of dental work of the sixth and seventh centuries before Christ. They consist mainly of bridge work, done by rivetted of metal. One of them supported three artificial teeth, two of these having been made out of a single ox tooth, grooved to imitate rather closely two human teeth. The museum of Pope Julius at Rome contains a gold cap made of two small plates of gold, stamped out to represent a middle lower incisor, the two ' pieces being soldered together to form ike crown of a tooth.