Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

9 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

FACTS AND FANCIES.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

FACTS AND FANCIES. The first monk was Anthony, who died in 251. Birmingham is the oldest seat of nvtfnufactory in Europe. The same heat which raises water one degree raises oil two degrees, owing to the evaporation of the water. THE eyes of birds that fly by night are generally about double the size of day birds. JERUSALEM is built on a vast plain of arid lime- stone, which sustains no vegetation and no animal life, except a few beasts of prey. THEFTS AT DIAMOND MINES. The owners of the Kimberley mines, in spite of extraordinary precautions, lose from 10 to 15 per cent, of their product each year through the thefts of employees, who, although closely watched, still manage to get away with their loot. The punish- ment. for stealing a diamond is fifteen years' imprisonment. A VEGETABLE WONDER. The wax palm of the Andes is a vegetable wonder. It grows tu a height of 200ft., and thrives not only on the plains but the mountains. The wood is tough and durable. The wax, which is vellow or greyish white, is as pure as beeswax, .and is used for making candles. A peon climbing the tree can gather from 201b. to 30ib. from each. NATURE'S DISGUISKS AND HELPS. Nature has afforded little insects some curioui means of protection against their foes, odd little creatures being provided occasionally with complete wguise. Beetles, for instance, are endowed with the power to vary their colour. A common weevil England is red in the red sand of Boar's Hill, leal, and grey in the grey earth of Shotover Hill, A grasshopper which is brown when found ir. one part of Heligoland is green in another district. The lizard can discard his tail and wriggle off without it should occasion require. Butterflies have bright spots on a non-vital part of their front wings, and this is believed to be a special arrange- ment of nature to draw the enemy's attack to such places. The butterfly often escapes, leaving that unessential part of its anatomy in the mouth of the tird. Small sea crabs know how to dress up in tits of green seaweed to hide themselves from their en c mies. PERSIAN BREAD. Perhaps one of the queerest forms of bread in the w.jrld is the Persian" lawash." The n.aterial of this queer loaf is a mixture of rice, flour, and milk, which is formed into a tough dough and then fattened out by hand on a wooden bench till it is cl wafer-like thinness. Then it is cut into sheets atout 12n. by 20in. and baked. The great thin fheets are hawked about the streets like evening \fipers, and the bread is excellent, sweet, and «juri<=:;ing. EIGHT RELIGIONS WITH BIBLES. The religions of the world are really compara- tively few. There are only eight great historical religions which can claim that name on the strength (f their possessing sacred books. All these religions came from the East; three from an Aryan, three ■rem a Semitic source, and two from China. The thiee Aryan religions are the Vedic, with its modern oil-hoots in India, the Avestic of Zoroaster in Persia, and the religion of Buddha, likewise the offspring of Brahmanisfli in India. The three <. :'eat religions of Semitic origin are the Jewish, the v'liristian, and the Tuohammedan. There are, besides, the two Chinese religions, that of Con- lucius and that of Lao-tze, and that is all; unless, we assign a separate place to such creeds as "Taini.sm, an ear relative of Buddhism, which was ably represented at Chicago, or the religion of the lkhs, which is after all but a compromise t.etveen P.iahmanism and Mohammedanism. A ROMANCE OF WATERLOO. On the field of Waterloo an infant was picked up from behind a waggon after the battle. She was froby an ensign in the King's German Legion. :1: placed her under the care of a soldier's wife, jiaying for her support, and as she grew up, seeing now beautiful and talented she promised to be, had her educated, and finally married her. He held in liiss latter days an appointment in the Mauritius, here follows the extraordinary pendant to this romantic tale. The great-granddaughter of the Waterloo "Waif and Stray" (they mature and marry very early in those tropical climes) was the wife of Baron de Lesseps, the originator of the Suez, and the unfortunate designer of the Panama, Canals. At the age of seventeen she fell in love with the Baron, then above seventy, and proposed to him. according to the custom of the Mauritius, tv a floral offering. The old Baron was so amazed that he declared that she must intend the offering for his son, who was with him. "Non, monsieur, à vous." JAPANESE CREATION LEGEND. Clouds formed on the bridge or which onc. god Y'nagali and his spouse stood pondering on the riddle of existence, whether the beginning of worlds and the beginning of life lay slumbering in that sea of chaos. Yznagali, apparently more enterprising than philosophically inclined, seized his si'Jmeiring fpear and plunged it into the back of the black and teething flood. Pulling it up again, he discovered seven salt drops on its diamond point, which, drop- ping, condensed and formed the Island of Cuso- koiosima. Thereupon Yznagali and his spouse selected the spot of earth which had thus been created as their permanent dwelling-place, and peopled it with innumerable genii of animal and riant life and spirits of the elements. And around this "palace of immortality" rose eight other islands Awadsi, the island of foam the moun- tainous Clio; Yamato, blessed with fruit; Yyo, imsurpaBsed in its beauty; the quinquangular Tsikousi Sado, rich in copper and gold; Yki, -it the pillars of heaven; and Oko, surrounded Dy <hre« satellites. Such, says Harper's Magazine, was the birth ot Japan, of that curious land ol Fusiyama, with its amiable, population of artist artisans, its graceful tea houses, its glistening silks, its grotesque dwarf trees, its white cranes and dreamy iotus ponds. CURIOUS ANSWERS. Here are some of the answers given by the pup. at a school examination in Germany. "Veres plundered the temples of Sicily and then took them home with him; nevertheless, he won his lawsuit, for he bribed hie opponent." "Xapoleon I. was born on August 18th, 1768, and his day was destined to be the most remarkable in his entire life, since he ascended the throne of France on December 2nd, 1804." the time of the ancient Romans priests wore k which went over his head and neck and 1L:O the shoulder blade." "Schiller's life came to a final end on May 9th, 1805. "There were three Punic wars—namely, the first, second, and third." "In reading Klopstock one must look for the argument, and even if it is not there one must find it." .1 In r(??ard to Homer, no one knows whether, V/rf' when, or why he w?,s born." I he national hymn should always be sung stand- ing with bare feet. & "Ladislaus Posthumus was a good-humoured ruler, but he was defective in the matter of birth." How BIRDS AMUSE THEMSELVES. Some modern writers would have us believe that the life of & bird is a life of constant fear; that not only is it all work and no play, but that it is passed in deadly terror. To a bird lover, says a writer in the Leisure Hour, this idea is intolerable, .and if accepted would take away all pleasure in making their acquaintance. But happily this view is not confirmed by facts. On the contrary, there is plenty of evidence to show that our feathered brethren have sports into which they enter with the enthusiasm of youth. Like us they have their social festivities, their concerts and dances, some- times on the ground and sometimes in the air, Parrots and cockatoos are fond of varying the monotony of their lives with playthings, bits of chain, glittering objects, a feather, a key—almost anything, indeed, they will amuse themselves with for hours, and show a strong sense of ownership by resenting any other use of the objects they consider their own. A tame mocking-bird who had the freedom of the house was particularly fond of a paper of needles for a plaything. Finding this treasure in his mistress's workbasket, he would work at it till he loosened the fold, then seize a corner of the paper 5a his beak, and with one flirt send the needles in a shower over the floor, to his great delight. Lories, favourite cage birds of the parrot family, will play with one another in comical ways, hopping side- ways in a circle with droll gestures, nodding their heads expressively, rolling over aad over, shaking hands, and many other gambo.s. A noble macaw, 2,¡¡ys Dr. Karl RUBS, and an Am«zor.ran parrot played together lika two puppies, wrestling and tumbling Qch ether fcbout. Two stands for pierrot troupes on the South Sands, Scarborough, have just, been let by the corporation for the season at jE170 each. A Liverpool tram conductor was sent to prison On. Saturday for embezzling fares. The magistrate Earned other conductors against such conduct. A great May-day labour demonstration took Place on Sunday in Hyde Park. A resolution was tarried demanding international peace and a co- commonwealth.

--YANKEE HUMOUR.

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--YANKEE HUMOUR.

--YANKEE HUMOUR.

--YANKEE HUMOUR.