CYCLING THE CHANNEL

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 801, 23 October 1929, Page 15

CYCLING THE CHANNEL

A cyclist has crossed the English Channel on his cycle. People have rowed across; one man paddled a canoe. The Channel has been crossed by pedal-cycle; and now a motor-cyclist and his pillion rider have ridden from Dover to Calais and back. First the machine was lashed to two floats similar to those used by seaplanes, and then a propeller gear was fixed so that the power usually transmitted to the back wheel drove the propeller. The motor-cyclist and his passenger made the return journey In 7 hours and 25 minutes, including 40 minutes for lunch and two other stops. A ROYAL GIFT In the British Church at Ypres is a Bible which is used in connection with pilgrimages and services on the battlefields, and was used at the Menin Gate ceremony last year. It has now been disclosed that this Bible was given to the church privately by King George, autographed. On the fly-leaf he lias written a Batin proverb which means that those who went out to meet death earned life. Tlieso words, so strangely appropriate, as it turned out, to his own case, form the last personal message his Majesty wrote before his recent illness. THE MOTOR SKI M. Santos-Dumont, who 20 years ago became so famous in Connection with flying, devoted some time in those early days to an invention by which people would be able to ski by motor. His invention has recently been brought to perfection. A small motor can now be strapped to the back which operates with a light connecting rod a pair of specially constructed skis. The skis are about the ordinary length, and have only to be guided by the feet. The motor does the rest. A NEST OF TADPOLES Recently a foam nest was sent to the London Zoo. An Asiatic tree frog makes these foam nests, and in them its eggs turn to tadpoles. There was great delight over such an acquisition, and the foam nest was placed in a moist room and kept at u high temperature till the tiny tadpoles hatched. Then the little creatures hid to be fed by hand, midgets, green flies and other minute insects being profj fered on the end of a camel-hair brush. AN EVENING THOUGHT j I have my windows wide open, and , i the sunset has just faded into a clear, , ; cool blue-grey twilight. It seems truly summer, with the bird-songs and : j the trees gently wind-ruffled, stand- . : ing against a faintly pink horizon. —Red Star (Jean Mclndoe). L i ; i SCOUTS’ APPETITES » l How much can a Boy Scout eat? ) When some British Boy Scouts » visited Tangier they were entertained ‘ to tea by Moorish, Spanish, Jewish, > French and Italian Scouts, t There were 91 boys. They ate T-'-O cakes. They then marched a. mile to . another party and had another tea.