THE MAGIC RING

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2684, 17 January 1924, Page 4

THE MAGIC RING

SIMPLE SEXOMETER WHTCI

NEVER ERRS

Results startling in their suc- ( ess, have been achieved by a primitive form of sexometer used in the London Zoo insect house, declares “A. E. H.” in the Daily Chronicle. The device is merely a gold ring tied to a single strand of cotton about eight inches long. If I lie ring be suspended over the subject experimented upon it will infallibly determine the sex—by a swaying motion (pendulum fashion) in tiie case of.a male, or by a circular, swinging motion in the case, of a female. It is essential that the hand be held perfectly steady so as not to counteract the mysterious forces at work. This extraordinary sexometer lias been successfully tested with human beings and animals, though its usefulness is chiefly in determining the sexes of such creatures as spiders, scorpions, and snails, otherwise difficult to distinguish. In one instance, Keeper Flenin, of the small mammal house, held a teniale monkey in his hand whilst the sexometer was suspended above the ani,mil’s head. The insi runient duly recorded the “female” sign, and when held over the keeper changed to the “male” sign. Returning home, I Quickly tasiioned a sexometer of the kind and proceeded to experiment, at length —over the hands and heads of visitors, and over the domestic cat and dog. Though various members of the company present took pari in the tests the device did not err once! The sexometer is not, of course, a new discovery, having been expatiated upon by Sir A. Conan Dor - le, but few people are aware of the startling results to be obtained from it, whilst others are too sceptical to even experiment.