NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1001, 1 February 1912, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

Travellers and explore s agree that the tallest tree in Australia is probably one of the Eucalytpus species, which was found on a spur of Mount Baw Baw in Gippsland, Victoria, Experts have ascertained the height of the tree to be 326 feet. Its girth at six feet from the ground is 25ft. jin. A tree of the same species discovered at Neerin, also in Gippslaud, while only 227 feet high, has a girth of 55ft. yin. at six feet from the ground.

A young Englishman, after he had been in the Far West for a couple of months, began to grow thin. Wyoming cooking did not appeal to him. Besides his squeamish appetite, there was another thing that the natives held against him—his outlandish custom of taking a bath every morning. One day his landlady was discussing him with a friend. “I tell yer what, Sal,” said the visitor, “he’s jest a-wastin’ away a-grievin’ for some gal back East thar.” “Nothin’ 0’ the kind,” said the landlady contemptuouslv. “You mark my words now—that young feller he’s simply just a-washin’ of hisself away.”

The planet Jupiter, whose volume is 1278 times that of the earth and superior in dimensions and weight to all the other planets put together, is just now attracting the attention of the astronomers. M. Giacobiui, ol the Paris Observatory, who has made a special study of Jupiter has described a red spot which possesses a relative fixity but within the last year its mobility has increased in greater proportion and its longitude by about 30 degrees. That is all we can say scientifically. Is it really the formation of a new continent? Can we draw this deduction from this phenomenon so difficult to seize ? It is possible, but who can say so with certainty ? M. Camille Flammarion however, expresses himself with far greater confidence in this matter. “We are assisting at the creation of a world. Under our dazzled eyes a new world is being created in infinity, and in Jupiter we hail the world of the future”.

The godwit’s flight from Siberia to New Zealand and back again has long been regarded as one of the greatest marvels of migration but its actual occurrence bad, we thought, been accepted by all scientists. It seems, however, that an ornithological society in Germany has doubts on the subject and to settle them, it lately asked the German Consul in Auckland to “attach numbered rings to the legs of some godwits so that if any of the ringed birds were caught in Siberia there would be incontrovertibile proof of their marvellous migration.” Godwits are not exactly as common in the city of Auckland as domestic fowls, and Mr Seeguer appears to have pointed out these facts to the society. It was then suggested that he should have some of the birds caught while nesting. The idea, as the New Zealand Herald remarks, was a good one, except that there is as yet no evidence that the birds nest here at all, and plenty that they go to Siberia lor that very purpose. The Consul therefore replied that the society had better do the “ringing” of the godwits itself promising that he would look alter any marked birds that were shot in New Zealand. The German ornithologists, who seem to have a good deal to learn about the habits of the godwits, are understood to be still considering this suggestion, But if any godwits with rings on their legs are shot out here next season, the shooters will oblige Mr Seegner if they will send him the rings.