MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 409, 14 November 1884, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

: . Gigantic Earth Worms. '•'• ; -' Some few years ago an account of a gigan- j -• tic creature supposed to be an earth worm ( appeared in the columns of 'Nature.' The ■ ' natives of Brazil called it the Minhocao ; its size and strentli were so great that it was able ; , . to uproot trees in its passage through the the ground I Whatever may be the truth :: about the Minhoco, it is perfectly certain that genuine earth "worms do exist in many parts of the world which are giants of theiT 'kind. An example of one of these has ]ust been received at the Zoological Gardens from ' the Gape of Good Hope.'lt measured between four and five feet in length and about r half ii^iininch across the body, and it has been stated that this particular species sometimes attains to a length of six feet.-' Pall Mall >' : Gaze'tte.' ■ ;;<; Aii Astronomer's Calculation. " In the article! by Professor Langley in the September number of the ' Century on " The New Astronomy " some of the ordinary facts of astronomy are brought out with striking force. We all know, for example, <hat the sun is larger than the moon ; but ■we do not at all realise that if the sun's globe . • were hollowed out and the earth placed : in its centre, there would be room within the globe of the sun itself not only for the earth to revolve but for the moon to revolve round the earth in her present orbitfof 240,000 miles ■ distant from : lhe earth. Further to assist our imaginations" the professor pointed out that S express train had left the euu for the -itemonthe.day when the Mayflower left - Slander New England with the pUgnm ' fitners, and'nad run day and night at full - Seed ever since, it would- still in the year ?m be several years away from its .terrestrial destination. The fare for •jonrney at 'the usual rate would be about ; L 500,000. Cannibalism in the Rocky Mountains- - Whatever may be the truth of the story as . • to-the freely expedition, a well authenticated "■'■ Si» o€ cannibalism is reported by the « Courier deß Btats Unis' from the Rocky Mountains; A short time back a man half dead from inanition, and apparently insane was found wandering upon the banks or Kicking Horse River. When brought to himself^the unfortunate man stated that he was a Call- ■ fornian miner named William Owens, and thathe had started from Kamloops in June lendedt reach the Colombo River buf k;V falling short of provisions, they had trudged mi for six days without food. On the aeveShdayWiLms threw himself on the l! Souhd and said that he could not goon fS further. He died of exhaustion - m a f^ minutes, and Owens says that he cut SL o£ flesh from his legs and thighs and that it was by eating small mouthfuls of vfia "SaThe was able to continue his Journey He had been living on hu^n „ .BSdx days when he was »»d '■ ' o small Quantity was still tied up m a JorSer OS hLdkarchief. . The unfortu- • «S LnX was reduced to such terrible ;: 'Salts Several hundred dollars in bank 1 ' aotes witb. him.