Page 3 Advertisements Column 3

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 29, 27 February 1909, Page 3

WHY CATS FALL ON THEIR FEET. Au ingenious model lias Ijccu constructed to show why a cat in fulling always alights on its feel. The imitation eat consists of a cardboard cylinder with four rods stuck in it for legs, and a tail devised oil similar principle.-:; and the object is to show that a eat s faculty of Killing oti its feet depends oil the rotation of its tail. Some interesting information on this problem is given by the superintendent of a zoological garden, who has made several experiments. The faculty of always falling on the feet is one which is 'especially developed, lie claims, by climbing and leaping animals, ill which category are included all the eat tribe, monkey's, squirrels, rats, and most lemurs. The instinct is born in tlieni, and the act of twisting is performed without any conscious effort 011 Hie part of the animal. Tile opinion is that the tail plays an important part ill tlic turning process. "All Irce-inliabiting monkeys have long tails," says this 'authority, "and there i.s not t'he slightest doubt that the tail is of the greatest possible advantage to all climbers in helping tlieni to turn, it also acts as <1 good balancer. You may see a squirrel walk along a tightlystretehed wire or string, swinging itf tail from side to side, just as a tightrope walker balances Ins pole. "Sonic years ago I liad some rats whose taiis had been cut oil', and tliey were not such good climbers as ordinary rats. And it is just the same with aiionkcys; those which Oiave not long tails are not so good at climbing, and cannot leap to title same extent. It is noticeable that monkeys which have gi*'™ "P climbing trees have lost their tails.' The selling of wi'iie ill Spain oil a 81111 d<;i\ r i> and inns must iv midnight on Saturday. II is estimated that the Kallirs steal H-iMUIOII worth of diamond's wry year from the Kimberley diamond mines. 'The Emperor of China and the Viceroy of India between them govern more than half the population of the \vorld. According' to a Itormlui investigator, i, >uinkei' sends into the ail 1 about foul' trillion particles of dust at every pull'. The. majority of color-Mind people lie long to tin' educated classes, of -whom 110 fewer than four per cent, are thus alllicti'd. An elephant vorlis from the age- of twelve. In the .ago of eiglity. Tie ran Jiaul fifteen tons', lift a. half-ton, and carry three tun.-. Cici'inany has the largest trade union in the world. It comprises 335,0110 metal-worker*, of wliom a largo propor tiou are women. The total amount of cable resting 011 IW bottom of Uk-. sen. represents a value uf . L 00.000.000. It eosts about :C2OO per mile to m'-ikc and lay. l-'lics are not the only tilings sera 111 amber. 111 a big mas..-? of clear limber found! recently there was distinctly visible a smali squirrel—fur, teoth, and claws intact, ft single crow destroys 700,000 insects year. The forth ISridge contains 4H.000 toil!" of steel. _ The average dwplli of the I'.nglisli Channel is 110 ft. There are 200 species of moss found the liritisli Isles. _ . The heir to the Uns-ian throne is. 111 suri'd for C.'iOO.OOO. Tito-Oily of London consumes 0.000.000 tons of coal every year. The Persians have, a different name fur every day in the month. fashions in women's dre-ses ill .lapan have notelianged in 2300 years. _ An insurance company in Tans refuses to insure men wlio u-'c hair dye On an average 1-100 live* are. Inst b\ lives in Englnmi and Wales every year. Three, pel" cent, of the. world's popnia-, tioji gains its living directly from the sea. from 17410 to ISSO the worlds wars ■cost £3,047.000,000 and 4.-170,000 lives. The oivitised nations oil tin* world strike, 011 an average. 3,000,000 nvatehc* every minute. Fifty modern vessels are employed to : lay and look after (he submarine cables pf the world,