Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-12
FrOg.Eating Americans.
From the Manchester Examiner.

The Americans. il not great innovators. are
the most skillful imitators and adapters OF other
peoples Innovations. Like other apt pupils
they soon learn to surpass their teachers.
These well-known national characteristics are
receiving fresh Illustration in the adoption OF
frogs as an article Of food In Europe those
tasty amphbans have long been esteemed q
great delicacy. and years ago Englishmen med.
itatlng visit TO France regarded the possibility
Of Teasing unawares upon frogs as one of the
gravest dangers of their expedition. The peril
was not great for no reStGuGtesu was likely to
supply any of his guests with such bortae
touche without duly notifying the fact and
making corresponding charge In the
bill Still, the frog-eating Frenchman was
a byword on English lips. IL appears,
however. that frogs are regularly served
in all the first-class hotels at Boston, and
are greatly esteemed as delicacies I'm private
families. In fact. the catching. breeding, rear
ing. fattening and sending TO market of frogs
has become great business, I'm which many hum
dreds OF persons are employed. The country
towns in the neighborhood of Boston. Cape Cod
and Maine are the chief districts where these
creatures are caught and prepared for the mar
ket. One frog catcher alone sends from so to
100 dozen per week to the New Orleans market,
where the demand is SO great that the supply
falls far short of the requirements Of the public,
and the price is correspondingly high. We pre-
sumo that in America. as in France, the hind
quarters are alone eaten and as the cost OF frogs
is from so cents to so cents per dozen, the dish
must be a tolerably dear luxury and is likely to
become more so as frogs become fewer and their
admirers more numerous. American connois-
seurs prefer the specked frog to all other Species
but more cathocin their tastes than the French
they eat all kinds. What is still more interesting
to Britons. they are MISUNDERSTANDING large
export trade in this new luxury TO England.
Storm sounds i'm a Telephone.
From Engineering.
A correspondent Of l. EnJenie1l Conseil. sign
ing himself with the initials 'EB.." occupied
himself during the violent thunder storm which
occurred at Brussels on June 20 i'm listening to
the storm sounds in the telephone wire 1t was.
of course, furnished with good lightning con.
ductor, and, under such circumstances he 10
convinced that the experiment was not attended
with danger. During the height of the storm
there was continuous noise, which could ONLY
be compared to that Of frying From time to
time 1t would grow louder; sometimes there
would be little popping sound, like bubble
bursting; sometimes the series OF cracking
noises which follow the fall of drop of grease
on red-hOt Iron plate. This last noise came
abruptly and loud with each flash OF lightning
and seemed to precede it. The observer was
satisfied that his ear was surprised by the sound
before his eye was surprised 10y the fash The
same noises were often produced when there
was no accompanying flash, but then they were
less loud. Their force seemed to have no con-
nection with the peals Of thunder.
On the GOO lines Of telephone wire which focus
at Brussels. not one apparatus was damaged by
the storm, its effects being altogether expended
upon the lightning conductors and storm-warn
ing apparatus. This security may encourage
other observers to follow the example OFF,. B."
who considers that In this manner ii is possible
to obtain valuable contributions to the study Of
atmospheric electricity He is of opinion that
the constant noise heard i'm the wires proves
the existence i'm them Of a current of atmos-
pheric electricity flowing into the earth. and
that network Of telephone lines overspread-
ing town would be its best possible protec-
tiOr against lightning.