The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-05-30

Cats eye Is beautiful mineral
brought from tCeylon. Its colors are
gray, green, brown and red Of various
shades. From peculiar play of light
arising from white hbres interspersed
with the substance it has derived its
name, 1t is easily broken, and is class
ed by the jewellers as precious stone.
In Norway woodpeckers damage tele-
graph poles by boring through them,
supposing the humming sound produced
by the wires is caused by insects upon
which they feed. Bears also remove the
supports Of the poles, instinct leading
them to suspect that the humming is pro-
duced by wild bees, and that the poles
contain honey. Instinct, like reason, is
not infallible.
Electricity is a wonderful thing
There is an electric hair-brush, warrant
ed to make the hairgrow and cure head
ache, and an electric flesh-brush that
will cure several other ills that the flesh
is heir to; and now if some fellow will
bring out an electric clothes-brush that
will make an old suit of clothes look and
wear like new, he can sell thousands at
dollar apiece, or three for two dollars.
The returns of tho census taken in
Italy at the close of 1881 show the popu-
lation of the kingdom TO be %, 452, 900,
an increase during the decade Of $780,
$40. The number of Italians living in
other countries is estimated at 800, 900.
The only city in the kingdom whose
population has decreased during the last
ten years is Florence.
The outrageous rates of interest charg-
ed by some money-lendcrs was illustrat-
ed at Boston recently, in the discharge
of mortgage at the city hall. The
journal says that on Jan 6, 1870, wo-
man borrowed $3.50, for which she paid
per cent. per month up to-day, when
she handed the money- lender the princi-
pal. The total amount of the interest
was $3.50.
understandable phenomena occurr-
ed afew miles below Chattanooga recent
ly, The river at that point flows into q
basin seventy-fve feet deep and twenty
acres in area On the afternoon in queS-
ton the entire body of water was seen
to rise six to eight feet as if by volcanic
| action, and mass Of sediment which
had accumulated at the bottom arose
and iloated Off The occurrence is mex
plicable. A tradition exists that pre-
cisely similar phenomenon occurred in
the same place many years ago.
Baron de Fava, the Italian minister,
is thought TO be the most distinguished
looking diplomat in Washington. He
has princoly carriage and the purest
of Greek profles. The diplomatic corps
do not object to anything in Washing
ton life so much as the donning on cere-
monious occasions of their stiff and
heavy court-dress. my husband" says
the laughing wife Of one of these for
eigners, docs begin to profane q week
before any occasion of state. He does
much dislike the wearing of that so heavy
dress, and so do they all. They do all
| profane about it. "
The steamship Great Eastern still con-
tinues a burden TO her owners and fails
to find employment At n recent meet
ing of the stockholders the report of the
| directors stated that there was no divi-
dend to declare and that they had been
unable to sell their ship by auction
The chairman stated that when the ship
was put up at auction there was really
no bidding for her, although the sale was
most extensively advertised on the con-
tnent and in America. As to the con-
dtion of the ship, besides being MAIN
tanned she had undergone q thorough
overhauling.
Scarecrows have had their day and
New England farmers and indeed farm
ers everywhere this side of Mason and
Dixon's line may put up their shotguns.
The crow is no longer devastator He
is the friend of man, and the bad habit
supposed to be inherent in crow nature
of pulling up the Young and tender
shoots of grain is not bad but benefcent,
as he thus unearthS the larvae of beetles
which he devomS on the spot. All this
is proved by Professor Linden, who has
given several years of investigation to
the habits of crows, and has recently
made the results public, Now it is tho
turn of the English sparrow, and we
wait for paper from his defender.