Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-02-03
FACTS FOR THE CURIOUS.

WOMEN physicians practiced their pro-
fession in Egypt over 5000 years ago,
and then, as now, there were medical
schools that adopted the coeducation
plan.
THE tallest trees in the world are in
Australia. a fallen tree in Gippsland
measured 435 feet from the root to the
highest point of the branches. Another,
standing in the Dundenong district in
Victoria, is estimated to be $50 feet from
the ground to the top.
THE chamois, bounding over the
mountain, are indebted in no small de-
gree to q species of pheasants. The
bird acts as q sentinel for as soon as it
gets sight of man it whistles-upon
hearing which the channels, knowing
the hunters to be near, sets out at full
speed.
The twinkling of the stars is generally
admitted to be due to moisture In the
upper air. M. Montigny, in a paper
published in Les Modes, holds that a
very pronounced twinkling of the stars
indicates either commotion in the upper
regions of the atmosphere or sudden
fall of temperature there. thus denoting
the conditions of an early appearance of
bad weather.
WHEN strong east wind blows over
the Sea of Azoy the waters retire in q re-
markable manner, and the people living
on one shore can cross dry-shod to the
other. But this hazardous journey
sometimes involves the fate of Pharaoh.
for sudden change Of wind will bring
the water quickly back to its usual place,
and travellers are frequently swallowed
up by the tickle waves.
IT is on record that in the year 1851
poor old man, residing in Tarentum.
near Naples, was the subject of a very
marvellous change at the age of nearly
80. His skin peeled of, it is said, and a
new, soft and smooth skin supplied its
place; his muscles again became plump
and yielding the wrinkles disappeared
from his face, and the white hairs from
his head the fresh complexion of youth
replaced the one, and dark, curly locks
the other. Fifty years later he again
became decrepit with second age
and he died after he had passed his 150th
year
The following problem is given to
some new beginner In arithmetic to
solve: The English language has one
ct and four substitutes for it, namely,
ct as in g eteisiphon, pit as in "ptisan,"
phth as in "phthisic, +" til as in Thorn
as" 1t also has ga" and ten sub
stitutes for "a" namely, al as in
"vain," ay in cray" eigh rs in
"eight," eng as in reign, ey as in
"they," aig as in campaign" ca as in
"br,ak," au as in gauge" 40 as in
goa, aigh as in straight" Combining
the above. how many ways are there OF
spelling the word tailor ?" and then,
writing the second syllable lar, Ter, lir,
Tor, lur, Tyr, larr, lerr, lirr, lorr, lurr,
lyrr, llarr, Herr, llirr, llorr, llurr, llyrr.
lour, laer, lleur, liaer, how many differ
ent ways are there of spelling the whole
word tailor?'
AUSTRALIA, with Tasmania, is only
little less In size than Europe. The hot
test climate in the world probably oc.
ours in the desert interior of Australia.
Capt. Stuart hung Thermometer on
tree shaded from both sun and wind.
1t was graduated to 127 deg. Fahren-
heit; yet So great was the heat of the
air that the mercury rose till it burst
the tube, and the temperature must
have been at least 1913 deg. Fahrenheit
apparently the highest ever recorded
in any part Of the world. For three months
Capt. Stuart found themean temperature
to be over 101 deg. Fahrenheit in the
shade. Nevertheless, ON the southern
mountains and table lands three feet of
snow sometimes falls in day. Snow
storms have been known to last three
weeks, the snow lying from four to fif-
teen feet in depth, and burying the
cattle.