GENERAL NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7971, 23 February 1906, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS.

THE KEA.

A correspondent of the Lyttelton Times writes:—One who has had many years' experience of bill stations and fcbelr sheep says that there can be no doubt about the aestructiveness of the kea. My informant states that he has actually seen a sheep come bolting into the ehud with a kea on its back tearing at its wool and flesh. On one occusion, at a station in the Rakaia Gorge, some ewea and lambs were put into the yard while the men were having breakfast. The day was foggy, and on Boob days the keas come down on to the low country. When the men camo out of the hut after tbeir meal, tbey fouud that several lambs bad been killed by these birds. Some hoggets were keot in a large paddock, and on several mornings the shepherds found that one or snore of them bad been attacked by tbe keas during the night, r. man was sent to camp al Ibo spot, and he eventually sbo/two kens, and no more sheep were killed. The total loss was between twenty aud thirty. On some stations it was a common sight to see numbers of sheep come into the shed with soars on their backs where the bi-du had peeked them. Young keas seem to huve a natural desire for flesh food, a* ray fuforraant says that be caught two young ones that d'ould scarcely fly, aud that these birds would greedily devour any mutton given to them. Ho also states that it is his experience that the birds are travelling northwards. He accounts for this by saying that the shooting on the "southern stations of Canterbury has frightened the keas.

THE BITER Ml.

A blue-eyed Breton peasant girl, dressed in the picturesque costume of her county, was (says the Paris correspondent of tbe Daily Express) buying some cutlets in a shop recently, when she asked the butcher to look through the list of'winners in a lottery in which she had three ticketß. She told him she could tieither read nor write. The] obliging butcher did as he was asked, and found she bad won £4OO. Being a wily man he told her she had not won a prize, but that he would bay her tickets for £B, as the numbers were his lucky ones. She laughed and accented. He underBtood her laughter later, when he found thai the numbers of the tickets had been carefully altered in ink. Inquires showed that the girl, who haa disappeared, had victimised other greedy tradesmen in a similar fashion to the extent of about £?00.

"THtt ENDS OF THE EARTH."

Of the maning of clubs there ia no end, an 1 we have heard (says the Westminster Gazette) of one which is certainly not the least curious. It belongs to York and rejoices in the name of "Ends of the Earth." Here are its articles of association. so tn speak:—Mom bora: Good fellows with no axes to tirind who speak our language. Management: Tbe working committee attends to all necessary details. Dues: The nominal expenses have been met thus far by voluntary contributions. Lodge: Wherever the four ways meet—the Nortb-and-Sonth and East-and-West, trails. Greeting: "Where do you come from?" "I come from the enda of the earth." "Where for?" "To study the language." Tbe three members of tbe Honorary Council are Mark Twain (chairman). Rudyard Kipling and Admiral Dewey. Here is the Honorary toast: "Since England and America bavd been joined togbther in Kipling, may they never bo severed in Twain."

THE TRANS-SIBERIAN ROUTE,

A Japanese paper states that the Yalu- is to he spanned with an iron bridge for the purpose of carrying the railway which -will join IViju and Antung, thus bringing Fusan in to direct communication, by rail with Mukdeu. When this bridge is finished, and when the AntungMnkden road ia converted into' a permanent way, there will be no more question as to the quickest route from Japan to Europe. The train from Toko will carry passengers 'through to Sbimonosekj., ■whence a voyage of a very few hours will land them at Fusan, there to entrain direct for St. Petersburg. The sea voyage will be a matter of only four or five boars, and the wbo,!e journey will be a business of some two weeks. ,