, 1874-05-23

| 4 wATEn-uAT.
Outs havo d natural rnpugnauco to wnter ;;
l,t, In famous instance nolod by Mr. Trnnk
Buck1and. oite Of tho species net only ovorcnrno
tha nntlpathy, bit Developed remarkable fond
ncas and talent for ptgcatorial SPORTS. Tho nni-
NAL belonged to fisherman Of Portsmouth.
called "lsobtnuoo Crunol," md itaolf bore tho
etspllonioua namo Of "Pud1!os." To quoto from
Mr. Ducklands history Of tho cat, rolated as 1t
foil from the lipH Of Its owner:
10 wat tho wonerfuicat wnter-cat M eycr capc o,,t
OF Portsmouth Harlpi Wns Iudil1es md he l,He to
w0.ld ~ e ny iap wliler waa a.sl,ins and poke
hts head out cyerJ nuw and tlcn, ogo Wond wrap
him lp in satI, md mike him lay quiet, UcI iHY
down on mo when I waa aotcei, ind, IL anybody
'crn they wont o toael. MOI md ho novor touch
sn not @ oven o tecny lont you did not give
elao he would H.antf anl yawl and MARI iii ,sot buck
md catched him by tho poi mid SHE'D him into tho
boat. aga tst a, he w:s 1nite happy When It no
ii 1 e p' aSf" vse! assa
hen o jsnmed IN ii. mouth % ~ tss as @ 1ny tpi, BE-,
Just a. tley was parcel If rata; md he did not
de w" use to % it. t. IL sa
about tho head When e emma up out Of tbs wator with
| Tho dog-aal. learnt M him the wntor myself, Ono
dny, when llB VIVA ktcn, took lin down to the sea
TO ws and brush tho FEM ont Ut him, and in wock
lie could swim nfter faather Or a cork.
VENERABLE: TREES.
| Tho three oldest traoB In Dritain ara tho Cow.
thorpe Oak, noar Wothorby, Yorkshire, whose
| ago ia computed to 10 GOO years tho Bra
! bourne Yew-trco. which Humboldt A1rs. somer-
ytlo, md Prof. Dalfour estimated to havo On ago
! OF 1900 yenrs and the yow-treo ut Heddon,
Bucks, which is supposed to be 1900 yanrs old.
The CoHthorpo Oak Inns undergone very litto
cl'ange during tho Inst 100 years. At prosont
I'm Ia .111n ~
| artiicially proppcd. Tic largest yew.trecs in
England are stAndng in clurohyardH, nud the
qnory arIses, Did tho oarly Cifiatiana solact the
vicinity Of such trees for their burial-grounds?
Tho nohloHt specimens Of tho English Vow in
Amerfca are at Hatdnntle1d, N. J. They wcre
planted by Elizabeth Haddon, tho original pro-
rrictor OF tho town, aud ara now about ITO yoars
DID,
THE sSowpnor.
Tho pretty village of Over Compton, near
Doreotshilo, England, is celebrated as tho habi-
tat Of the snowdrop (Galantaus niual;s). 10
ward the last Of February tho plant is in profuao
bloom, md ts groen, grass-liks leaves, and 'puro
white bells, cover all the wild, shaded dells,
tho sIoping banks, and tho orchard-sitoa,
he borders Of tho wayaideu and tho
'hedgcrowB, with o thick and exquisite carpet.
II Is mt decided beyond question that tho Snow
drop is a native OF England but, In nny case, 1t
has firmly established itsolf among tho inligen-
Gus plants that flourish ut ovcr- r-Compton.
Por AND AVA.
Mr. Nordhof, In his recent interesting volume
of travels In "Northern California, Oregon, and
the Sandwich Islands," frequently nludes to the
staple article Of food among tho Hawniians,
callod poi. It occupies tho place In tho diet of
tho Sandwich IBlandor which tho potato does in
TINT OF tho Hiberuian. Moreover, 1t Ia manu-
facturod from tubor like tho potato thirty
different yarioties boing cultivated In tho Ha-
waitan Islauds. Tho plant is popularity named
Taro, but bo.anists know it aB tic colocas;a
| antiquarum var. Esculcnta, q member Of tho
| ortlnr AraccU, or Wild-Turnip family.
With tho exception Of ono variety, tho tubors
| Of tho Tnro possess delsterious aoid qunlity,
! which, however, il expelled III the procoas OF
| boiling or roasting. 10 make Poi, the tuber is
| ed very fine. 1t ia afterWard mixed with
/ water, md, for native uBe, loft to undergo n
slight fermentation. Fresh or unfermonted Poi
has q pleasant flavor; brit, according to MIR.
| binders paste. It is easily disested, and is
worry fattoning, and sometimes is prescribed by
pi,ysfcians to consumptives.
lilo Tnro is MI aquatic plant, and is cultivated
| under water. The patch whore 1t grows is s,1r-
rounded with embnnknonts; it's bottom is Of
puidlcd clay, and in this the plants are set in
| little clunnA, In long rows, In Taler kneodeep.
So prolific il its yield that patch 10 foot square
WILL Support pGC90u tOE year, Nuu ono cover
ing square milo will feed over $4,000 Hawaii
| nnu. So universal is tie use Of Poi among Tho
| natives that its manufacture is carried on by
etcam-po" or a:sd With Yunkoe machinery. It is
sold in tile ntreet i1l cnlabaelies,-tho hollowod
SHELLS Of the Gourd-liko fruit Of the Ca]abash-
| troo.-and is also shipped in considerable quan-
titles to otter isancB, especially to the gnnno
Islands that lie south aud west Of tho Hawaiian
group.
fo1o 10 fr,r In tof
| (1Gacropiper naetaystscun) by a sufficiently
disgusting process. Tho root is ollewed BY
women, md spit, with tue copious saliva wl,oao
secretion it stimulates, into calabash. A little
roots arc squeezed out with. the halda. Tho
liquid iB then strained through cocon-nut 1lbros
to Hoparate tho woody particles 1t may contain,
and tho Avn Ia ready for consumption. It ia
drank Just before or after supper. and ono mny
talo from two to four glls to- produce tho de-
| sired degree Of intoxication, It is n nauseous
doBo, Of tho color Of tholz green diBh-wntor and
Of an excessively y-diaagrooable taste. Tho effect,
| however, ia delicious. It induces Immediate
ktnmber, which lasta from twelve to twenty-folr
Or oven moro hours, while dreams of tho most
| cautiyating character charm the long torpor.
Tho effect OF Ava upon habitual drinkers Ii
disastroua in tho extreme. Tho body becomes
| enaciatca: and tho skin IL covered with largo
| mating white spots that ofton degenerate iuto
ulcers.
Tho leaf Of tho Aya-plant is sometimes used
instcad Of that Of the Detol-poppcr. as narcotic
Btmuant. Doth plants aro Topperworts, and
characterized by tho same pungcnt properties.
Tho Avn is Il ai1rnbby plant. with, hcart-ahapod.
aonminate leavoe, and short, nxlalnry spikes OF
f1owors. It IN nativo OF tito Hawaiian nnd many
South Sen ialands,
sEA-Dt1D8.
The Farilon Islands, D. clustor Of six rocky
peahs tl,at thrust thoir bald heads several hum
dred feet above tho Hoa 2st1 miles from the
Golden date,-the famous entrance to San Fran
cisco Day,-are inhabited by tnultitules Of soa-
birds, wlose eggs form. in tho nesting scaGon,
an important article of commerce iu tho Califor-
min market. The chief apeoies of these fowl aro
gullu, murrcs or guilcmots, slags Or cormor-
! antB, and Bca-parrots Or puilns. The eggs Of
tho gulls and INJURIES only aro edible. Tie egg
ing eeaeon laHts from tho middle OF May to tho
end Of July, and during that time from 5000 to
$4,000 dozen eggs aro annually collected. This
field has boen worked for oiehteon yoars, aud
yot ahele is no Bonuibie decrease in tho Iulubcr