ST. BATHANS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 142, 17 November 1871, Page 3

ST. BATHANS.

Nov. 12. • According to appointment, the Mount Ida Garrick Club performed in the schoolroom her on Thursday night, in aid-of -the funds of the to be District Hospital. lam glad to say that their humane mission was entirely successfulj and that the attendance of the people of St. Bathans, Hills Creek, and "Welshmans was, in proportion to population, such as to confirm my assertion of last week—viz., that those people are never found behind the door , when,charity calls. lam also sure that '• they, were all satisfied with the entertainment. Every member of the Gar- • rick Club acquitted himself or herself • admirably. Mr. Cooper makes a firstclass Lord Dundreary. The acting of , Mr. G. Raven and Mrs. Money was, throughout the performance, so perfectly natural and easy as to leave nothing to be desired on their part. The burlesque—' Bombastes Eurioso ' —with which the entertainment wound up, was well acted, and reflects credit on th@3e gentlemen who took parts—- ' Messrs. Jagger, Rowlatt, G-rumitt, and Oolledge. Mr. Jagger appeared "every inch a king," and Mr. Rowlatt was quite at home as Eusbos, minister of state ; while Mr. Grumitt, as Bombastes, looked and acted a very doughty general indeed, and his song '(' Kafoozalum ') given in honor of the " royal presence," wa3 warmly encored. When the curtain dropped, Mr. G. Purton, in proposing a vote of thanks to the Mount Ida Garrick Club for the grand entertainment they had just given for so good a purpose, expressed a hope that those gentlemen forming the Club would contrive to make their visit a periodical affair, and so be the medium of binding St. Bathans and Nasebv more closely together, by causing, as on the present occasion, residents of both places to meet under the same roof to benefit a good work, and at the name time receive good value for their money ; a sentiment which was loudly cheered, and the carrying out of which would, I am sure, give general satisfaction. That the Club undertook this journey at their own individual cost; that they were, as I am informed, supplied gratis with conveyances by parties in Naseby ; and that for their short stay in the Vulcan here Mr. Hanger's charge was a mere nominal one, reflects great credit, on all concerned, and sets an example worthy of imitation on all such occasions.

The crossing at Muddy Creek is now repaired. The contractor is Mr. Macpherson, and, so far as be has gone with the work for which he tendered, lias done it well; but the money granted will not compl the work (small though it be) which the' Committee have taken in hand. If road work is to be well done, £4O goes but a short way.

The weather, during the last few •days, has been very wintry. Colonial youngsters are not easily frightened, yet I have seen the " run " put.on a dozen of them in an amusing way by a fish-hawker. A. few evenings .ago the children were engaged at play. The piscatory gent was the'first of his class who gave notice of his arrival in the old conventional style, and he certainly sounded as fine an alarm as I •ever heard of " Fish O ! Fresh fish ; all alive, O!" It fell with startling •effect on ears that had not heard it for some years; and as for the juveniles, Tvho heard it for the first time, they broke and fled in all directions, leaving their " alley taws " and other valuables behind, crying at the same "time that there was " a wild waggonman in town." The children "were young ; but even so, the incident serves to illustrate the extent of our contact with the outer world.

In the absence of something better, will you listen to a few words about blight and blight birds," by way of a wantiug in interest to some of your readers.

If other places are like this, I fear the promise of those writers who, last year, spoke triumphantly of the disappearance of blight will not be realised yet awhile. I have heard complaints that cabbages are already iufected in several gardens, and as for rose-bushes and young apple trees I have seen them

covered with aphis. For this latter, I have heard of many cures and seen them applied, but without effecting much good. The real cure is to have some blight-birds about, and those you may not expect unless you provide some inducement for them to halt in their flight, and finally to remain, by planting shrubs and trees wherein they may safely rest and be sheltered. A neighbor of mine has been favored with ai visit from a pair of those interesting I little natives a tew days ago, and result is that a few rose bushes which were literally covered with aphis are n °w < comparatively clean and healthy looking. His garden is a very diminutive one, but contains about a dozen native shrubs in good foliage. The birds have remained during the last three days, and rested in one of these shrubs the same one each night. I have been curious enough to watch them at work and off work for hours. Their custom is to work very industriously, eating aphis and even destroying grubs, from thirty to forty minutes, | and then retire into the thick of some of the shrubs for about the same length of time, when they will again issue xorth and go to work afresh. This process they repeat until about six o'clock p.m.) when they ensconce themselves in their favorite shrub and are not again seen till the following mornin° p . If this is not the blight-bird proper, it must be a near relative of his strongly imbued with similar tastes ; but those amongst your readers who are better informed on such matters may be able to say if there be any difference when they read the following description which, as x am not an ornithologist' must be a little imperfect:— In shape, this bird resembles the English goldfinch, but much smaller; the bill is black and slender ; head, green ; round the eye is a white waxy ring, unclosed towards the bill; from neck to half length of back, including wings to same spot, a pale slate; thence to butt of of tail, including remaining length of wmgs (except the tips, which are dark) the color nearly resembles green baize , the tail feathers, on upper side, dark brown corresponding with tip. of wing ; the feathers on throat, breast, and down to vent, a dull white ; the outer thigh feathers, and for a little wav towards butt of wing, are tinged with orange lead ; the legs, like the bill, are very dark in color. I am almost certain these birds would remain permanently if there was anything like a plantation sufficiently large to shelter them. And now, sir, if you are not tired and confused after reading this don't blame me.—A.B.C. ° '