GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8046, 8 February 1906, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

Eih'iirmliniiry qualities are possessed tiv the liiver Tinto, in Spain. It hardens*ud petrifim#the sand of its bed, and if a stone falls ill the stream and alights upon another, in a few months they unite and become one •tone. Fish cannot live in its waters.

In South America, there is a planl—a species of mimosa—which resorts to death feigning, evidently for the purpose of pre venting grass-eating animals from eating it. In its natural state, this plant has a vivid green hue ; but directly it is touched by a human linger, or by any living animal, it collapses into a tangle of apparently dead and withered stems. Among British wild plants, the most sensitive to touch is the insectivorous sundew of our bogs.

In the greßt National Museum at Amsterdam one of the most interesting aparlmcnts is that in which may he seen miniature houses with glass sides, which represent the dwellings of wealthy burghers, of nob*les, and of peasants during four centuries. Each apartment is accurately furnished, and ihe dolls and figures are dressed in the costume of their time. It is a valuable object-lesson of the social history of Holland. It was begun by a child, continued by his father, ami is now in charge of the Government.

People who suppose " tarring and feathering " is an invention of Lynch " out west," may be surprised to learn that it was invented, at least was first used, bv Kiehard Ooenr de Lion. In the regulations entered into between him and Philip Augustus, the Crusader commanders decreed, amongst other punishments provided, that whoever in either of their two armies should commit theft, was to have warm pitch poured over his head, which should then be poivdeicd with feathers, and the offender should afterwards be abandoned on the first shore. »

The advantages of two eyes consist in the fact that wc look at objects from a slightly different point of view with each. It is thus that we obtain our ideas of perspective and solidity. For instance, we see both sides of A flat object held edgeways to us, if we keep both eyes open, but we only see one side if we shut one eye. Spectroscopic pictures arc formed on Ibis principle by the joining of two photographs of the same object taken from slightly different positions. This gives the appearance of solidity to the flat picture wjjen looked at through the lenses.

In Japan the women arrange their hair in t manner so ingenious that a person can (ell ttt once whether any woman whom he sees is ft maiden who desires to get married or a widow who is inconsolable, or one who is willing to be consoled if the proper suitor presents himseJf. Young girls arrange the hair in front in the form of a fon or butterfly, and adorn it with silver or colored ornaments ; widows who are looking for second husbands fasten the hair at the back of the head by means of tortoise-shell pins; and widows who are resolved to remain for ever faithful to their departed spouses cut the bair short and wear no ornaments in it.

In Bunnah the inhabitants have a novel form of the sport thai, elsewhere is commonly called a tug-of-war. In the Runne.se game there is a rain parly and a drought party, who pull one against, the other, the victory of cither being considered to have immediate results a.s regards the weather. The drought party, however, obtain few victories, for tho kind of weather they represent is cominonlv not so much desired as ruin. Tn the face, therefore, of a strong public opinion the rain party are nearly always allowed to win, the palpable "roping" in the popular notion being generally followed by k fertilising downpour. 4 * * *

It is said that a fruit supposed to bear the mark of bve's teeth is one of the many botanical curio.-ities of Ceylon. The tree on which it grows is known by the significant name of '• forbidden fruit," or •' love's apple tree." The blossom has a very pleasant scent, bttl the really remarkable feature of the tree, the one to which it owes its name, is the fruit. It is beautiful, and hangs from the tree in a peculiar manner. Orange on the outside, and deep crimson within, eaeh fruit has the appearance of having had a piece bitten out of it. This fact, together with its poisonous quality, says the • • Liverpool Post," Jed the Mahonunedans to represent it as the forbidden fruit of ihe Garden of Eden, and to warn men against its noxious properties.

The cause of death by lightning is the sudden absorption of the electric current. When a thundercloud which is highly charged with positive electricity hangs met any certain place, the earth beneaih it becomes abnormally charged with tin- negative eleutrid current, and n- man, animal, or other object standing or iying directly beneath also pailakes of the lasi-mentioned influence. If, while the man, animal, or other is in this condition, a discharge takes'place from the cloud above, the restoration of the equilibrium will be sudden and violenl.orin language we can all understand, the negative current from" the earth will rush up to join the positive elond current, and in passing through the object which .separates the two currents, if it. he an animate tiling, will do so with such force as almost invariably to produce infant death. According to the above hypothesis, a. person is ' really " struck " by the ground current, and not by the forked fury from above at all. 4 * * *

Where did that very common won! " fudge " come from. and what docs it really mean? The antiquarian of Hie Boston " Journal " says the lirstnppearanec of the word in literature in in the description of the call of Lady Blarney and Miss Carolina Wilhemina Amelia Nkeggs on the Vicar of Wakefield's household; "lint previously 1 should have mentioned the very impolite behavior of Mr. Burehall, who, during this discourse, sat with his face turned to the fire, and at the conclusion of every sentence would cry out * fudge!' an expression which displeased us all, and in some measure dampened the rising spirit of the conversation." Docs the word come from the provincial French " fucho " or tho Low German " futsch ? M Or shall we trace it to the story of 1700 quoted by the elder Disraeli : " There was, sir, in our times, one Captain Fudge, who always brought home his owners a Kood cargo of lies, so much that now aboard the ship, the sailors, when they bear a great he told, cry out, 4 you fudge) M>

Men who shave themselves should l w inlor mod ol th excellence and ling qualities of the "Kiwi" ru/.ors. ilu\ an even temper, extraordinary keenness of edg»s do not vibrate when cutting into an extraordinary heavy beard, and give you a clean, luxurious shave, even it you have the touchiot skill. Make me prove these statements. I will change your razor as oft in as you like until you lire satisfied. KIWI is the name. Gei it at J. Aven's, the ijluce lor men's sundry needs, Devon street.— Al>\'i