NEWS AND NOTES.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 13 October 1917, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES.

An officer, who is well known in Dunedin, writing from France to a member of the Daily Times staff, relates the following amusing story, which also helps to throw an interesting sidelight: on the consideratencss shown by the New Zealand soldiers: —"Some time ago the Engineers were engaged in strengthening an existing building to enable it to be used as an Artillery Group Headquarters. The building —a fairly solid briek stable- —was having a concrete wall erected inside in order to increase the resistance against high explosive shells. An officer visiting the work, and noting the progress made, remarked to the sapper n.c.o. in charge that the job would be finished within a couple of days, and was somewhat surprised when lie was told that it would take at least nine days to complete. 'Why,' said the officer, 'the work is almost done now.' 'Yes,' replied (lie n.c.0., 'but we can't get at the last portion of it for a week on account of (he hen.' The officer was more astonished than ever, but as a result of further interrogation it was explained that the farmer's wife had a hen sitting on eggs in a manger which would require to be demolished, and that she had asked that this portion of the work might be deferred for a week in order that the period of incubation might be completed. As time permitted, tlic request was agreed to."

There was a strange happening on the Opilii iiiver recently, when some poaching was done right under the nose of the ranger to the Acclimatisation Society (says the Timaru Herald). The strange aspect of the case was that though the poacher was suspected, the ranger would not search the person under suspicion, albeit he lias a name for marked impartiality in this respect. The circumstances, however, were unusual, and even the ranger admits that he was well duped. There was a. woman in the case; in fact, there were several, and under the guise of bathing in the river, at least one of them set to work to secure some trout before the season opened. She had on a regulation bathing costume, and proved an expert in getting fisli out of the water with her hands. On approaching the bathers the ranger, from a sense of gallantry no doubt, felt in duty bound to sheer as soon as he saw that they were women. He noticed that one of. them looked extraordinarily stout, but hastily looked the other way, and thought no more about the matter, till later on he received indisputable evidence that she had been poaching, and that her ''stoutiiess" was caused by the fine-conditioned ti*out which she had secreted under her bathing costume. A strange method of cooking an egg is sometimes employed by shepherds in the East. The egg is t.i-i,"'(l ; n s'ing, and whirled round :ird I'i.uml until the heat generated by liie motion has eoofeed. it.