The morning news., 1892-02-21
NATURAL FRUIT HNoRS.
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

"
IS7l1 A. D. the Arabs crossed the narrow
strait of Gibraltar and established themselves
around the famous rock whose name is derived
from their leader. Field Marshal Tarik was one
OF the leaders of the Arab invasion OF Spain.
Gebel is an Arabic word meaning mountain.
me great rock, which was by far the most con
spiouous object along the shores Of the strait.
was accordingly named after Tarik, Gebel el
Tarlk, or the mountain of Tarik. IL is easy to
see how this name became changed into it's
present form, Gibraltar.
THE ROBES of Queen Victoria are never sold or
given away, despite the energetic attempts
which have been made. from time to time, to
induce the attendants to part with some of these
thousands OF gowns which their wearer has
probably forgotten that she ever possessed.
When the long reign is ended it is a question
what will become of the coronation robes, bridal
gowns, resplendent garments of stately fete and
royal ceremonial, worn in the old days before
the maRnthcence of queenlineSS was forgotten
In the sorrow Of widowhood.
"TICKLED TO DEATH" usually expresses the
hight of humorous effect, but it is one of those
strange sayings that sometimes turn out to be
grimly expressive of a sober fact. Henning Pat
erson, a tailor Of Fort Dodge is likely to die
literally of being tickled to death. He was
very much amused at q comic song he heard q
few days ago and he laughed very heartily.
Soon his laughter became uncomfortable and
at the end of an hour he was so completely ex-
hausted that he became insensible, His laugh
ing did not resemble Mysteries. All efforts to
rouse him were vain, and at last reports IL was
thought he would die.
AMONG birds the swan lives to be the oldest,
in extreme cases reachiug 800 years; the falcon
has been known to live 1862 years. An eagle
died in 1919 which had been caught 104 years
before, and was then quite old. white-headed
vulture, which was caught In 1706, died in the
avairy at Schonburn, near Vienna, in 1924 Par
rots live more than a century, Water birds
have long life, exceeding that Of several gen.
erations of men. Ravens also live over 100
years. In captivity magpies live from 20 to 25
years, and still longer in freedom. The COM
mon hen attains the age of from 10 to 20 years.
Doves live 10 years, and the little singing birds
from to IL years. The nightingale's life is
the shortest, 10 years being the longest. and
next comes the blackbird, which never lives
longer than IS years.
THE OWNER Of a house near Berlin found a
single egg in the nest Of pair Of storks, built
on the chimney, and substituted for it goose's
egg, which in due time was Matched, and pro-
duced gosllng instead of the expected stork-
ling. The male bird was thrown into the great
est excitement by this event and finally few
away. The female, however, remained on the
nest and continued TO care for the changeling as
though it were her own offspring. On the morn
ing OF the fourth day the male reappeared ac-
companied by nearly 500 storKs, (which held a
mass meeting in the adjacent field The assem-
semby we are informed, was addressed by
several speakers, each orator posting himself
on the same spot before beginning his haranRue.
These deliberations and discussions occupied
nearly the entire forenoon, when suddenly the
meeting broke up, and all the storks pounced
upon the unfortunate female and her supersti-
tious young one, killed them BOTH and, after
destroying the polluted nest, took wing and de-
parted, and were never seen there again.
AN almond grower Of this location, ssys the
Sutler City (Cal) Enterprise, hit upon neat
device for gathering his crop last fall His
trees bore largely, and this early became known
to the yellowhammers, a species of the wood
pecker tribe oflbirds, and they had regularly
stored away large quantities OF ripe nuts taken
from the orchard in the limb of an oak tres
near by. The aStute orchardist watched opera
tions, and at last hit upon novel nut and labor
saving plan, and he lost no time in putting it
into execution. The limb was sawed from the
tree and replaced by a square-shaped funnel
long enough to nearly reach the grouud;
bucket was then set underneath. A genuine
robbing game then went merrily on The birds
gathered the nuts, which they dropped into the
funnel aud down into the bucket below and as
regularly as night came the almond grower
would in his turn empty OF its contents and set
it back for new supply. This was kept up
until the entire crop had been gathered, and
the yelowhRmmers had departed broken
hearted at the heartless deception practiced
upon them.
THE bass Of thunder is considerably lower
than the lowest sound produced in an orches
tra-below the zero Of music we may call it, at
which all positive apprehension of musical
sound ceases. and our senses are merely con-
scious of roar. In observing the music Of
thunder, our attention, however, may be most
proftably directed to the expression rather to
the notes. The musical diminuendo is more
perfectly resented by thunder than by any
other form Of sound in nature. After the first
clap is over the ear will pursue with pleasure
the rolling away and gradual fainting Of the
peal, until at unreasonable distance it sinks
into silence. The melody of rain danciug on
the stones, or pelting down in its first drops on
the dry soil of forest health. is species OF
sound which the art of music has yet to imi-
tate, If it wonld complete its at present very
incomplete list Of instruments. The Mexicans
had some rattles made OF very peculiar clay
with pipes inside which were intended to repre-
sent this sound. Certain triDes of the North
American Indians have been similarly fasci-
mated by the loud splash of water, to the beauty
of which we have alluded before They have
instruments constructed accordingly with a
view to reproduce this sound. Large buffalo
hides are filed with water and sewn up in the
with their heads covered by very fine gum
are welded by the player, and the gentle
and monotonous plash of water is produced by
the drumstick striking softly on the skin. The
natives will sit and listen to these instruments
for hours. Certain tribes on the Amazon have
in a similar way been fascinated by the music
OF the waterfall. Musical instruments were
found in use among them consisting of a com
phcated mechanism by which water was poured
from one bowl into another. in imitation of the
cascade, and then returned by the receiving
bowl into the vessel which had poured il; so
that by repetition of this mechanism q con-
stant murmur of cascade could be kept up 30
long as the audience desired or the player was
able to perform it.