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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 74, 27 March 1879, Page 2

A shark measuring 13 feet 6 inches in length, and 6 feet in girth, was caught a few days ago in Tauranga haibor. The Christchurch Press ot the 13th says : —A rather novel incident occurred on the Gladstone pier yesterday. While the men were at work loading grain from a railway truck into the Mennock, a hive of bees hovered close about them, much to their embarrassment, and finally swarmed on the edge of the truck. The workmen discreetly resigned in favor of the new tenants, while the men m charge of the horses at work close at hand placed their animals out of harm's way inside the shed. The truck was afterwards taken in tow by a shunter, the bees still in possession as it left the pier.

The Bendigo Advertiser is responsible for the following:— A few days ago a line 9peci- j men of the feline race, belonging to the landlady of the well-known hostelry, the Royal Duke Hotel, Ilargreaves-street, caught' a large rat, but was unable to retain it, and the disagreeable animal escaped into a hole, much to the chagrin and discomfiture of puss. The cat spent hours in wistfully watching the crevice which had cheated her of her prey, until a hone with a scant supply of flesh on it was given to it. Grimalkin took it in her mouth, but, instead of eating it as usual, was observed to carry it to the hole where the rat was ensconced, and carefully place it a few inches from the aperture. The cat then went a few feet away, and crouched behind a saucepan. Presently she made a tremendous spring, and a shrill squeak, such a3 can only emanate from an impaled rodeut. proclaimed that the cat's stratagem I ad been successful, and her enemy hung lifeless in her tenacious clutch. " A smart thing was done the other day by the County Court bailiff," writes the Geelong Advertiser. «He wanted to serve a fraud summons on a disciple of Esculapius not 100 miles away. To show himself would be of np avail, and his preseuce would be objectionable, and always caused the gentlemen"wanted to make himself scarce, aud 'not at home.' The bailiff's messenger tried to get at the debtor, but failed, and a stratagem had to be resorted to. The messenger bandaged a white cloth stained with blood around his face ami head, and sought advice of the doctor. The medico, anxious to relieve suffering humanity, admitted the messenger to his surgery, where he was duly served with the summons and conveyance fee. The doctor, although a little bit put out at first, admitted that he had been ' had this time.' " " Atlas " writes in the World :— I can hardly believe it ! But I have before me a letter, written by a gentleman of good faith and position, to a local paper in the western counties, crying shame on a lady who appeared ou the 30th December last, at a fancy ball, attired as " Winter ;" the emblem of winter being robin skins sown on to a white dress garnished with fur and holly ! I 3 it possible to conceive such senseless cruelty or such a want of ta?te ? It is lucky for that lady that she did not attend a juveuile ball in such a costume. Assuming it to be true, the pets of our children and homes must have been decoyed and brutally butchered to make a coquette's holiday. I suppose the next thing will be an arrangement of kingfishers for { Mis 'Arry ; and every cockney snob who can " fire ajgoon" will be prowling about our rivers' aits aud islands. The Bishop of Manchester having been invited to attend a meeting, to be held on the subject of juvenile su-okins. has written as follows :— " Bishop's Court, Manchester, January 14.— Sir,— I am unable to attend the meeting which it is proposed to hold for the purpose of endeavoring to diminish the habit of tobacco smoking among youDg boys. It is an evil, and, it seems to me, a growing one, which I have often observed and de plored. Whatever may be thought of the habit of smoking generally, I believe the medical authorities are universally agreed that it is physically most mischievous to young people under the age of 18. The moral effects consequent ou the too frequeut association of this habit with others of a pernicious tendency are not less hurtful to the character. It has ever been a matter of both surprise and regret tome that parents are so indifferent to both these classes of consequences to their sons, and though I have no practical remedy to suggest for what I regard as a great and increasing social evil, I hope the meeting which you are going to hold will help to fix public attention both on its proportions and its effects. It was stated in a leading article in The Times a short time ago that so sensible is the German Government of the mischief wrought by tho habit on the constitutions of growing lads that in many towns the police forbid boys under IG to smoke in the streets, and that the offenders against this regulation are punished by fines, or in default of payment even by imprisonment.- See Ihe Timrs of September 13, 1878.— 1 remain, Sir, yours faithfully, J. Manchester." Mr E. J. Lowe, tbe astronomer, in a letter to the London Timrs, mentions a curious instance ot the value of small birds in agriculture:—" Thirty-five years ago a countryman left here for Australia, taking with bim all our popular hardy fruits and vegetables; but the produce was yearly destroyed, until the English sparrow was introduced, after which there was plenty of fruit." Waterton calculated that a single pair of sparrows destroyed as many grubs in one day as would have eaten up half an acre of young corn in a week. The swallow, flycatchers, and other summer birds come too late to destroy the grubs; it is only the native birds like the sparrow, which really do the necessary work. Frost does not kill these grubs. Even in the severe frost of 1700-61, when the thermometer stood in some places Bdeg below zero, the grubs were not injured. It is the little birds which are the true under-gardners, though they do take a certain portion of the produce by way of wages for their work. Charles Dickens' fat boy has a worthy representative iv a native lad belonging to Palmerston, and whose appearance generally subjects him to a good deal of surprised comment. His age, the Advocate states, is not yet twelve years, but he weighs over thirteen stone. His head and face alone would have gladdened the heart of Leech, when he wanted a model for one of his grotesque illustrations. He is one of the most extraordinary looking youths of the aboriginal race we remember to have seen. His measurements are something incredible —nearly 60 inches round the chest, and 54 round the waist. Should he develop physical growth as he now promises, he should yet be a second " Claimant" before the Dartmoor dietary scale and prison regime reduced him to comfortable proportions. The parents of this modern tat boy are very proud of their offspring, and readily give any information as to his age (11 years and 3 "moons"), weight, health, physical peculiarities, &c. The lad himself is not quite so pleased at being considered a natural curiosity, and though he does not object to having his thighs, ankles, calves of his legs, waist, chest, Sec, measured, he has a decided objection to uncovering his head to the 100 curious inquirers into tbe mysteries of phrenology, if such information is desired. The following portrait of the Ameer at home appears in an Italian paper. It is taken from a lecture by an English missionary, Mr Hughes, who speaks from his own experience. The Ameer can neither read nor write. " What is the use of reading or writing," he asks, "when one has hundreds of people to do it for one?" He is, however, well up in history, the results of conversations with learned men by whom he likes to be surrounded, as do most Indian Princes. In a conversation with Mr Hughes he told him he considered Napoleon as the greatest general the world ever produced. In public he is frugal and sober, but in private he is a drunkard. He is bellicose, and a thorough ; warrior; those who saw him at Umballa say , he has all the qualities of a good general. His instincts are decidedly cruel ; when he re-conquered his throne he owed his success | to three persons; his brother, his nephew, and his son Yakoob Khan. The thing he did was to cause his brother to he strangled; to send his nephew to Lahore, where he died iv captivity; and to confine his son in a prison at Cabul. "The Ameer," concluded the lecturer, "is not an interesting character in any way, and I, who know him personally, have no hesitation in calling him a savage."

A " Rabbit Exterminator " is reported as having been invented by Mr E. Taylor, of Colac, Victoria, and is said to be very effective. The machinery consists of a close iron cylinder, iuto which fire is placed aud chemicals thrown in, poisonous gas being generated. A tub is fixed on the cylinder, and pressure for forcing the noxious fumes in the rabbits burrows is obtained by means of powerful bellows, the tubing, of course, being put into the mouth of the burrows and properly sealed, -O as to preveut the escape of the fumes. The smoke travels quickly along the Hue of the burrow, and when it escapes from cracks it is easily noticed, so that they can be covered over with earth. The chemicals used are kept a secret. The " Exterminator" has been tried by Mr F. W. Titnms, of Mouut Hesse, and that gentleman reports very favorably as to its deadly character, for whenever used, the rabbits were found to be dead, and the cost of the chemicals was only one shilling per day. The Dunedin Age says :— ' A son of the Emerald Isle who was charged before Mr H. Orbell, J.P , at the Hawsbury R.M. Court, on Saturday last, with being ' drunk and disorderly,' naively exclaimed, in reply to the usual question : I suppose I mu3t have been drunk ; but you'll deal leuiently with me, Judge, won't you ? I promise you, Judge, I'll never do it again. I'm a hard-working man, Julge ; look at my hands.— His Worship : What are you ?— l'm a navvy, Judge. —His Worship (to the constable) .' What is the amount of bail ?— Ten shillings, your Worship.— The accused : But, Judge, you'll leave me something to pay my debts ? — His Worship : How much do your debts amount to ? — Accused : I owe for half a pound of tobacco, Judge ; do leave me something, Judge, won't you?— l came iuto the township to pay my debts, and I only had a pound. —His Worship : The old excuse. — I assure, you, Judge, I'm a hard-working man, and am only four months from Ireland.— His Worship •. But you earn good wages ? — I think I get Bs. or 9s. a day, Jndge ; let me off this time, Judge. Do, Judge, and I'll never come before you again. Will you, Judge ?— His Worship -. You are fiued os. If you come before me again, mind it will be £I.— Thank i you, Judge. The fellow evidently underj stood how to use the ' blarney stone,' aud no doubt went away rejoicing at the success of his pleading."