RANDOM READINGS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 8, Issue 438, 3 January 1919, Page 4

RANDOM READINGS.

t » SANS AMD HIGH HWJ, Boßot-heeis are of Persian and w«e originally attached to sa» dais In order that the v«mri might keep their £eet above the horning sands, Heels fin. high have been known. When high heels were introduced in Venice the/ ware called "chapiuejn," and were highly deeorated. The height ot the "chayiny" proclaimed the rank of the wearer. LANGUAGE Of 1 WINDMILLS. i In Holland birtha, marriage*, and deaths, instead ot being recorded in newspapers, are indicated by windmills. When a miller gets married, lie stops his mill with the arms ot the wheel in a slanting position and with the sails unfurled. His friends and guests frequently do likewise with their mills, in token of the ceremony. To indicate a birth, the wheel is stopped in a slanting position but at a more acute angle than thai of a marriage, and with the two upper sails unfurled. Should a miller die, the sails of a mill are all unfurled, and the wheel is turned round until the arms form an upright cross, ia which position they are left until after the funeral takes place. . EVE'S TEETH MASKS. A fruit supposed to bear the mark of Eve's teeth is one of the many botanical curiosities of Ceylon. The tree on which it grows is known by the significant name of "The Fortidden FruiT," or "Eve's Apple-tree." The blossom has a very pleasant scent, but the really remarkable feature of the tree, to one to which it owes its name, is the fruit. It. is beautiful, and hangs from the tree in a peculiar manner. Orsnge on the outside and deep crimson within, each fruit has the appearance of having had a piece bitten out of it. This fact, together with its poisonous quality, Ifid ~ih« Mohammedans to represent it as the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden! and to warn men against its noxious properties. The mark upon the fruit is attributed to Eve. Why the bite of Adam did not also leave its mark is not known, but, as only one piece seems to be rpjssing, its loss is ascribed to the .wfofcan"' THE WARSHIM The history of the colourij^pof British warships is a itself. To-day the colour, giving invisibility. is a matter of life and death; but in the old days, before the in-' vention of long range gunfire, colouring was more a matter of fancy, Accordingly, in the Tudor days, a blazing red, signifying death without quarter, was the accepted colour foe all British warships, and men, strip-pc-il io ihe waist, climbed over crimson bulwarks when they boarded the enemy's vessel. In Elizabethan days, crimson was abandoned for more variegated colours—as we can discover from old documents. The bill delivered for painting ihe Revenge, the renowned ship of Sir Richard Grenville, iias, fortunately, been preserved, and it we learn that. the Revenge haN u black hull with upper •'works painted' in the Tudor colours—green and white. Hut the Elizabethan age of pageantry and colour passed away, and Cromwell's strict rule took it ft place, .lust as the men of that period wore dark cloaks and black hats, so llie Puritans treated sternly em h delights of the eye as colours and gliding on their warships. , Ac- " cordingly. most of the men-of war in commission under the Commonwealth were painted black all over. Hit l with the restoration of the Stuarts were also restored io our Navy the gorgeous decorations of the gay Cavaliers. These lasted until the : hue of NYlson. Our great naval here had. however, the practical mind, and realised that ships were not made to be pretty, but for the stem needs of war. His colours were characteristic of the man. Wishing to magnify his little fleet, he had all the hulls of the ships painted dead black from bow to stern, with yellow bands running along each row of gunports— ihigiving a most waspish, wicked appearance. well worthy of their exploits. The black hull continued until a few years ago. In the year 18S6, a neutral tint—a reddish grey—was aimed at, but not attained in view of possible hostilities with Russia. The authorities, after abandoning this tint, experimented with various colours: but it was the Coronation review of King Edward VII., and the subsequent cruise of the German squaatun rr'id our western coasts, thai led to the British ships donniag their present sombre war paint. Tie change reminds us of the methods of protective mimicry adopted in the insect world, and shows how much we owe. even in our modern civilisation, to Mother Nature. Wherever the Naval Ensign flies from a ship, in any one of the Seven Seas that we patrol, that ship is nowi painted, a dull leaden grey. Those who have had the good fortune ou a niisi-y day. while cruising oil the seas, to meet with one of hi." Majesty's batile.ships. will know how well-nigh invisible is the smoke-grey colour jyith which they are painted. The Burmese have a curious idea re< garding coins. They prefer those which have female heads on thein believing that coins with male heads on them are not so lucky. The sea is infinitely more productive than the land. It is estimated that an acre of good fishing will yield more food in a week than an acre of the best land will yield in a year.