NEWS IN BRIEF.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 319, 9 January 1909, Page 4

NEWS IN BRIEF.

The ancient inhabitants of Sweden were tUft Finns, now the modern inhabitants of .Finland.

No reptile Ims ever been found in Newfoundland.

Lake Erie produces More fish to the square mile than any oilier body of water in the world. The cow-tree of Venezuela is a natural dairy. Its sap is similar to mill:, and is used as sucli by the natives.

Snakes have no external ears, but "hear" by feeling vibration of sound on their delicate scaly covering. On a snail's tongue, which resembles a long, narrow ribbon, as many :as 30,000 teeth are sometimes distributed. Letters are delivered to some of the islands of the Tonga group by skyrockets fired from steamers.

In twelve months tigers in India were responsible for the death of UOS human ' beings and 28,711 head <jf cattle. In Austria, prizes arc oliered to farmers to encourage them to recover waste lands, ami lay them out as pasturage. The Canadian Government has sold 20,000,000 of the special postage-stamps issued in commemoration of Quebec's tercentenary.

Europe has about 20,000 newspapers. Of these Germany has 5,500, including 800 dailies, and Ureal Britain 3,000, including 810 dailies. Air. i'\ Adams has commenced to count the stars. As there are probably fifty millions of them visible through the telescope, it will give hint many years' work.

li'eautiful photographic prints are made without sunlight by rubbing ether and peroxide of hydrogen over the negative, and putting it in contact with gelatinised paper. A toy's hair grows at half the* rate ot a girl's. Reindeer are more numerous in Norway tluiu horses. Gustavus V. is the fifty-seventh King of Sweden.

The postal business of the world is increasing seven per cent, per annum. To supple -plumage for ladies' hats and other decorations, 300,000,000 birds are annually slaughtered. The eighteen Hags used in the International Code of Signals can be maile to represent 20,000 distinct signals. In the civilised countries of the world, sixty per cent, of parsons over ten years of age have to work for a living. The police in Australian cities are empowered to enter private dwellings in which they suspect gambling is going

on. . , Brazilian cocoauul palms live from GOO to 700 years. In Russia 25,000,000 squirrels are slaughtered yearly. Fifteen years is the average life of a modern battleship. The United States has the greatest varietv of postage stamps. Out' of every million of the world's population sixty-four are horn blind. Most spiders have poison fangs, but few are dangerous to human beings. Mattresses made with paper shavings are in usu in Ormany for soldiers' beds. According to bakers, people ear, twenty per cent, more bread (n cold weather than in mild.

Night-work tor all females, and for males under fifteen years o» age, is forbidden bv law in Italy. The swiftest river in the world is the Sutlej, British India, which has. a descent of 12,000f1. in 150 miles.

In London 800,u(HH>00 eggs are consumed yearlv, which weigh 00,000 tons, and cost the eaters C4.001U100. Kevv Hardens. London, possesses the lavest collection of palms ill the world, nciii'ly live hundred species being represented. A horseshoe made of paper, prepared bv saturating it with oil, turpentine, and other ingredients, has been invented by

a Herman. Commercial travellers in .Sweden are compelled to take out a license, costing 'loo crowns-aliout .Co 10s—a mouth, or thev incur the risk of -being lined. There is one lighthouse not radicated on any mariner's chart. It is in t'he Arizona desert, and marks, the spot where a well of fresh water awaits the traveller. , Standard time in Belgium, Holland, and Spain is the same as in Orcat Britain. It is one hour faster ia Oeriuany. Italy, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, and .Serv'ia. . Photography enables us to see the invisible. By exposing for a long time a dry gelatine plate, it shows the images „f s'tars too dim to be seen through the most powerful telescopes. Before ISBO most English railway cai-lia-'es had onlv four wheels, and weighed ten" tons From 1880 to 18110 they hs'i six wheels, a-ipl weighed 15 or l(i tons; from 1800 to 11)00 they had eight wheels, ■uid wei'died 24 tons; and since WOO the fashion hi twelve wheels for dining and sleepin" cars, and the weight Ha to 42

ions. . , , \ funeral was taking place from a neighbouring house, and little Marjone niwrlv questioned her mother, who is a;" invalid, as to whether the young mem or the young ladies of the deceased's family would attend. Then, she said: "When you die, mother, shall 1 go to your firneral *" No, dear, I don't think you will go," The littlw ><irl Hushed with jealousy of her brother, "It's too bad, mother," she cried.';

" Eddie gets all the treats." There have been ninny lazy men, Tint few to equal Archibald Deban, of. Suffolk Place, West Green, who was acensed at Tottenham recently of neglectin;; his four children (says the Daily Express). -Mrs Deehan said her husband had done no work for fourteen, months, althon'gh lie had been ofl'ered employment. "Instead of looking 'for work lie lies inJied until all hours of. the day," she stated. "Once, lie stayed in bed for three months, although nothing was wrong with him. I have tried to persuade" him to bestir himwlf, and I have even dragged him out of bed, hut he ! went back to it again. One. day I took him a letter containing an offer of emI ployment. lie. read it, and said he would not go out u»til tlia next day, as it was raining. When hrt was offered another situation lie stated he could not take it until he obtained a new set of teeth and had his hair dyed. He was in the workhouse in the early part of the year. After he camel out he took to his bed again, anil remained there for a week. "1 suffer from insomnia,'' Dehan pleaded in an injured tone. ''Nobody can expect to sleep all the twentyfour hours of the day,' remarked the magistrate drily, sentencing him to six months' hard labor.