The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-29
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

tering a once in small harsh voices. all ready
with the desired information, each full OF
contempt for the others knowledge. They
followed him up and down, while grown folks
looked az him suSptciOusly. and when finally
he found shelter it was to hear the one that
had stuck to him the longest quarreling with
another over the small tip he had yielded up.
Prior to 1888 the naturalists of America
knew nothing of xiphioid whales except from
comparisons and the fossil records of the
geological ages says writer in the st. Louis
Republic. During the year mentioned, how
ever Il have been unable to get the exact
date, one Of these queer cretaceans was
stranded upon the sands at Barnegat
City, n. j. J. H. Ridgeway and his assistants
managed to save the specimen. and immedi-
ately teleRraphed for the officials Of the ma
tlonal museum at Washington. They went,
OF course. and took all the apparatus neceS-
sary for preserving such a unique curiosity.
Among these smithsonian worthless were
scientists OF International reputation, yet the
creature before them could not be assigned to
its proper place antil after the brain was criti-
caily and scientifically eXamined-this on
account OF its great rarity. Before removing
the flesh preparatory to making a skeleton"
OF the great creatures bones plaster cast of
the exterior was made. After this operation
had been finished il all its minute details, the
meat was cut away and the bones carefully
articulated. A scientific report of the incl
dent closes as follows: The xiphiold whales
have most interesting history.
They really belong to the geological ages, and
perhaps only few stragglers are now left in
remote quarters of the globe. 1t would seem
that they are but the surviving relics of a
great race, which declined long ages before
man appeared upon the earth"
Young wild boars are far prettier than
might be expected from the rather formida-
BILE appearance of their parents, says the
Spectator. Their bodies are slim and ele-
CANT, their shouts fine, their ears short and
their legs and feet almost as finely shaped as
those OF a young antelope. Their color is a
bright fawn or rich tan, with longitudinal
stripes like those on a tabby kitten, and in
place of the thick briStles of the older pigs,
their bodies are covered with a long and
thick coat of rough hair. Family life in the
boarS quarters is harmonious and amusing.
For the first month the little orange striped
pigs depend on their mother for food, and
take no notice either of visitors or of each
other Each roams about by itself in the
most independent fashion, or drops down
to sleep on its stomach, with It's legs
stretched straight out before and be-
hind like kneeling elephant in mini
allure. ater, when they have to lie
satisfied with the food provided in the
troughs, they become the most amusing
and importunate beggars in the Zoo the old
SOW and boar setting the example, well sup
ported by the little pigs. The whole family
stand upright on their hind legs in a row,
like heraldic pigs supporting a coat-of- arms,
with their fore feet against the rails, and
squeak ,grunt and even climb the wire netting
for contributions Even if the floor is lit
tered with delicious hog wash, they prefer to
plead in forma pouperIs, and the yearning to
reach just one inch further than their broth
ers seems to give an impulse to the growth OF
their shouts, which soon grow long flexible
and narrow, like those of the parent swine.
The ancient breed of wild swine which
haunted the great Caledoniap forest may
claim to have been established, for some OF
these are the third generation in descent
from ancestors bred In Scotland.
Says the Madras PIONEER: Rather more
than year ago the fact was mentioned in a
Bombay paper that gentleman connected
with the GA railway had shot a hamadryad
(Ophiophagus elaps) on its nest. This awk-
ward mouthful of word is coming to be
Familiarity known as the name of the giant
cobra, more common in Burmah than in India
which grows to length OF fourteen feet, is as
nerce as 1t IS is strong, and has the reputation
of feeding on other snakes. Little indeed is
known about the incubation-we might almost
have said the alleged 1ncubation-of snakes
and rarely, If ever, has a competent observer
mad the good chance to come uLo a serpent
in the very act of sitting hen-like, on it's eggs
Only the bare fact was published at the time
and fuller account cannot fail to be interest
ing. The gentleman was Mr.. Massey, known
in his district as an ardent and successful
Shtkari; and he was told by coolie in the
matter-of-course sort of way usual with these
fatalist philosophers, that a certain path was
impossible, as cobra had erected a gadi or
throne, for itself there, and warned of in
truderS. Here was golden opportunity to
settle the vexed question of the aggressiveness
the attack If it can get easily away? Euro
peans commonly say no" but natives uni
Versally cite instances to the contrary, some
OF bhem plainly fabulous, but others only
wanting corroboration to be believed. Now
here in British India, or at least in Portu-
gueSe india was giant OF the tribe, known
to all the villagers to have taken up its sta
ton by the roadside and to be ready to glide
down and rush like lightning at man or beast
who approached. Mr. WaSey followed the
coolie to the spot, and was shown the monster
n n hn of hY,rva IL
leaves Without more ado he shot it, and
turning over the leaves, found at the bottom
thirty two eggs, rather smaller than hens,
and covered each with a tough skin in place
of shell. These were sent to the secretary
of the Bombay Natural History Society; but
wanting the heat generated by the close mass
OF decay1ng leaves, they did not hatch. Some
times more than one young one escapes from
snake S egg, but at the lowest computation
Mr.. Massey is to be congratulated on Kidding
his district of thirty-three deadly snakes.
The Berlin Tageblatt has been making an
interesting calculation as to the amount of
precious metal the principal officers of the
German army must trundle about with them
on dress days, writes a correspondent of the
Philadelphia Telegraph. This is induced INV
the recent publication of the Prussian army
list. No other officers in the world
have their breasts so covered up with decora.
lions. There would be overpowering dazzle
II the members of the imperial Headquarters
in Berlin, 1.-TWO generals, five colonels and
two majors) were to march out in all their
aggregated stock of jeweiry. These nine i'm
portant gentlemen hold 219 decorations,
OF which number, Gen. Won Hahnke
alone possesses forty-four. The nine
men together would bear on their
breasts on festal days twenty-five pounds
OF fine metal, Among these 219 orders there
Is, however, not a single BLACK Eagle"
There are seven of these much-prIzed orders
held by the former adjutants of Emperors
Frederick and William l. Twenty-one Of This
old guard are still on the army list Besides
the Black Eagles" there are distributed
among these twenty-one men fifteen Prussian
Grand Crosses and about two dozen Orders
OF the First Class" Orders of these three
kinds must be worn with broad ribbon. For
each decoration about one and half wards of
SIX is necessary, so that the old adiutants Of
the dead emperors would consume in THAR
exterior adornment seventy yards of rihhon
or about the hight of respectable church
steeple. Fourteen Of the high insignia held
BY the adjutants are set in brilIiants
Gen. Won AlDedyll has three orders
Of this kind, which are worth at least
5000. The German ambassador AT
Vienna, who is ranked among the adiutants
is distinguished from his brother officers nv
possessing picture of the Shah of Persia sci
In brtlliants. There are several '.three.do7en
men in the list-Prince Anton RadziwiIl has
thirty-nine decorations, Count Lehndorf
forty one, Count Won Goltz thtrtv.seven
Count Herbert Bismarck thirty-nine' Char
cRllOr Capriyi has in