The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-12-02
CLIPPINGS FOR THE CURIOUS.

Cock hghting originated with the Ath-
enians.
The great gray slug has supply OF
29, 600 teeth.
There are forty-six species of the Eng
lish cuckoo,
Busters were at first made of the tails
of oxen or foxes.
The earliest mention of parks is
among the Persians.
The leech has eight or ten eyes set in
its back near the head.
The idea of fertiliZing land with salt
was conceived by John Napier in 149S.
Gauze is said to receive its name from
GAIA, in Palestine, where it was first
made.
The part of the human body which
show the greatest variety of cOlOTs is the
iris of the eye.
The moon was pronounced by AnaXa-
goras. 500 b. c.. TO be an earth having
mountains and valleys.
King Alfred used to measure time by
a device of twelve candles, graduated
so as to burn two hours each.
The boiling water column of the Ice
land geysers is nineteen feet in dame
tel. and sometimes rises ninety-twO feet.
The cochineal insect is very small, a
con tain not less than &C, 600 in a dried
state.
A peculiar violet od0T is emitted from
the males of some species of Brazilian
butterflies, the female being not at all
fragrant.
When frogs are seized by snakes they
enlarge themselves wonderfully, so that
if the snake be OF small size the frog es .
capes.
To neutralize the sting of gnats and
mosquitoes, English spOTtsmen Iub the
parts affected with ceTumen, Orthe wax
from the ear.
The Bible has been translated into
226 languages and dialects, and in the
last eight years lac, 1000 600 copies have
been circulated.
The fashion in mems hats changes
far more often in England, France and
America than IN other countries. The
sombrero worn in Don QuiXote's time is
tie fashion in Spain to-day.
Within the past sixty years the value
of gold has tluctuated from l. Is to Is
rs that Of silver averaging about - -
times and never falling so low as that of
fifteen times such value
Among the early Romans a kind of
fasti, OF annals. was kept by driving
nails into the walls of the Temple of
Minerva and in public calamities, in
time Of pestllence, etc. nail was fas-
tened in the Temple of Jupiter.
Christian names are sO-called by hay
ing been given to converts in baptism
as substitutes for their former pagan ap-
pellatiOus. many of which were borrow
ed from the names of their gods. and
/ therefore rejected as profane.
The institution of the Order OF the
Bath originated in the custom of the
! Franks who, when the conferred knight.
hood. bathed before they performed the
7 ceremony. and from this habit came the
title Knight of the Bath.
The growth of plants of all kinds, Dr
c. W. Slemens claims, after experiment
can be stimulated by the electric light
rs Is wen known. plants grow all th'
year around in tropical regions, and DT
Slemens believes that the electric ligh
over glass, kept burning all night, vii
keep plant life active during the winte
months. even il temperate regions.
Although considered mute, insect
have the power of producing sounds b.
certain movements which to some eN
tent are characteristic of the differen
species. The shrill cbirp of the cricke
is produced by the rubbing together tn
wing cases. The baUsh shrek OF tn
grasshopper Is caused 10y friction of Jh
legs against the wings. The shTi
trumpet sound of the mosquito and th
busy hum OF bees and flies. result trOI
the rapid motion of the wings while fly
ing