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INATURE NOTES. I -.-

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I NATURE NOTES. I KGBS OF HORSES. Grey horses are said to be the longest lived, and roans come next in order. Blacks seldom live to be over twenty, and creams rarely exceed ten or fifteen years. LIKE A SPONGE. The sea cucumber, one of the curious bodies that inhabit the ocean, can practi- cally efface itself when in danger by squeez- ing the water out of its body, and forcing itself into a crack so narrow as to be in- visible to the naked eye. THK "TARANTULA." The bite of the wolf spider of Tarento is credited with being poisonous, and is sup- posed to have the extraordinary effect of making its victim have a sort of dancing madness or frenzy (tarantism). The only cure for this is the in.fluence of music, where- by the frenzy is soothed or lessened; the same tarantelle or tarantella is given to cer- tain compositions written in quick triplet time on account of this. The mother wolf spider exercises the same maternal care as I WOLF SPIDER. J I the rest of the family, carying her eggs about in a cocoon until hatched, after which the young spiders are strapped to her back by means of silken thread. The English variety of the wolf spider is to be found in our hedges and lanes in the spring, and is, of course, much smaller than the Italian J species. These spiders do not spin webs to I attract their food, but catch their prey as I hunters. CHIVALRY AMONGST BIRDS. j "I really believe," said a gentleman who has studied bird life in all parts of the globe, "that birds have some notion of right and wrong. On one occasion," he continued, "in J the South Pacific, I saw a tern hotly pursued by a frigate bird. The tern was carrying a small fish which was no doubt coveted by its pursuer, for frigate birds are sad robbers. In this case the poor tern would have lost its property but for a curious thing. A large ¡ bird which was sailing overhead descended upon the piratical frigate bird and drove it off, leaving the tern to pursue its way in peace. Another odd sight I witnessed in an English farmhouse. A couple of very quar- relsome bantam cocks were commencing to fight when an old gander interposed, and acted the part of peacemaker by dealing the fighters some smart blows with its bill. The little roosters made several desperate efforts to renew the combat, but were stopped each time by the gander, which evidently regarded itself as the guardian of the peace." THE SAND MARTIN. i One of the peculiar characteristics of the swallow family is the ingenuity displayed by them in the construction of their nests; and the sand martin is no exception to the- rule. It takes its name from the locality selected by it for breeding purposes. It usually builds in high sandy banks, by the sides of rivers, cuttings, sand-pits, or, indeed, anywhere that the soil and situation are suitable for the purpose. The nests are built in holes ex- cavated in the sandy sides of some balk or cliff, and these holes are dug by the birds themselves. The sand martin is a skilled workman, and the gallery in which its nest is built is said to be usually excavated in thir- teen or fourteen days. The nest is commonly made of a little hay and a few of the soft breast-feathers of ducks or geese, loosely put together. Four to six eggs are laid. The flight of the sand martin is rapid, but it I SAND MARTIN. [ lacks the bold, sweeping curves of the swift and the swallow, and may be described as j somewhat wavering and unsteady. The sand martin is to be found throughout the entire j continent of Europe, even as far north as I Norway, Russia, and Sweden. The arrival of this pretty little visitor takes place in the spring, about the middle of April, and it may be most frequently seen skimming over the surface of ponds, streams, meadows, or com- mons, in pursuit of food, or occasionally dipping into the water to lave its plumage. It takes its departure from our shores about September. A COLONY OF OWLS. On the banks of the Santa Ana river, in sou- thern California, is a queer colony. It is situ- ated in the cliffs which rise above the surface of the river, and has a multitude of inhabitants. In passing along the river by daylight one would not imagine that the cliffs werc. inhabited for the members of the colony are fast asleep in the chambers of the cliffs. But at dusk there is a I change. At every one of the openings with which the cliffs are perforated appears a countenance I so human-like in its expression that the be- holder is apt to imagine that these must be the ¡ faces of the pixifc-and elves of whom he de. lighted to hear in his childhood days. The tiny faces belong to a family having the strange name of Strix pratincola, or monkey-faced owl. TO SCARE AWAY MOSQUITOES. Mosquitoes are extremely frightened by dra-gon flies, and will not come within yards of them. If one or two dragon flies are sus- pended from fine silk under- the roof of an open porch infested by mosquitoes, the dead I will scare all the htfile pests away, and they will not come back while the dragon flies are there. This has actually been tried, with surprising results. It is a well-known fact that dragon flies are predatory and voracious insects, and that they subsist largely upon gnats, midges, and mosquitoes, and it is but natural that the mosquitoe, who is a wise in- sect, should regard the dragon fly as a small I bird regards the bm, t'.

MOTOR MISHAPS.

AEROPLANE TRIALS.I

ROYALTY AT RICHMOND. I

-P,16,700 FOR ROPE OF PEARLS.

[No title]

-SHOT WHILE HUNTING. .

THE 20TH CENTURY WOMAN.

KILLING A LADY'S DOG.

--HISTORIC CHURCH ON FIRE.

BULLDOG ATTACKS A MOTOR-CAR.

[No title]

I COLONIAL CONFERENCE. !

I.I I BARRISTER'S TRAGIC DEATH.…

IA DISAPPOINTED BRIDE.I

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LORD ALLENDALE'S WILL. 0

ILITERARY CHAT.

-5 1 I EPITOME .OF NEWS.