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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 290, 7 December 1877, Page 2

The Kingston Freeman has the following story about a bird in the collection of a dealer in that city :— This bird is a bobolink, and, it seems, took as naturally to dancing as a country maiden at an apple bee. He is a very sprightly bird and though his owner knew he was something more than an or. inary bird, he had no idea that he conk! waltz.luntiloneday, while wuistliug a German tune, the bird suddenly cocked his head to one side, and with a knowing look, and a lively " Bobolink, bobolink, spink, spank " commenced to waltz, taking a regular step of " one two, three," as though he had in his mmd s eye even the artistic rules of the dancing master. His evolutions were very graceful, the whirl each time being made off the perch, as it were, only his toes touching m. • . twirled himself completely round 1 his is a good illustration that our American birds are fully as wise as those in the old country, if not more so, for this one at least had never been taught as the German birds are. Ihe daucing bird is moulting now, but when he again recovers the elasticity aud vigour of his body, he will no doubt give some uew exhibition of terpsichorean skill.

The Ntw Zetland San says that legal whitewashing is all the rage in Napier just s°srs?Sfor glo ' rapeo! " c " isti " !

A correspondent to the Southland New the following extract from Captain Giles's journal of his recent trip to the Auckland Islands:-" pn Monday. 3rd September, 187, one of the overland party got separated from tho rest, and in making his way through the bush near the head of the North 2Sf OC i c * me Ito1 t0 a P^jecting rock, near which he found the skeleton of a man lying on the ground. Near him was a stone with the following inscription on it (apparently X? ' L°J e^ Oird ia Ame ™an barque Tradera, 35th December, 1875.' The last nm,f e h?Tf. n f arly obliter ated.» It seems probable that the remains were those of some unfortunate sailor who had fallen overboard and then swam ashore, only to die of starvation.

A funny story comes to hand about the recent almost unprecedented event of a sailing vessel, the Cora, crossing the Hokitika bar under canvas, a circumstance telegraphed through the length and breadth of the colony. At the time the Cora was standiug on and off the bar under easy canvas the signalman had gone away to dinner, and some young larrikins on the wharf thought it would be a splendid joke to go to the signal station and hoist the balls as signal "Stand on, take the bar.'' This they did, and the Cora stood in, although the wind was light ana tne channel intricate. • Espying the wgnalman returning the lads then hauled down the balls and made tke mse ly es scarce but the sigaaltuan coming to his post, and seeing the craft in mid-channel, at once, as hi A K D u c tohelp herout °£ danger, hoisted the balls again, and so the Cora, by a nuke, got safely into the river. A man shot himself dead in Hyde Park fcfm De # /? °i tober 30th - The maQ shot himself through the mouth, and death must m-** S ee " v m3tan taneous. He had been afflicted with lameness or paralysis, as near the body were found two crutches The body was removed to the dead-house, and on its being searched there was found a letter addressed to the police, stating that the writer who s.gned himself P. D. H., intended to commit suicide, as he had, for a length of time, been suffering from physical infirmity, including paralysis and weakness of the spine, which rendered him tired of life, and determined to do away with himself, as he believed his infirmities would increase, and |A -?°1 r| 3h L a S aiu t0 go into a hospital. lie said that he had recently como from New Zealand, where he had been under medical treatment in hospital for seven mouths The body was respectably dressed and appareutly that or a man about 40 years of age