The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-05
ITEMS OF INTHaBsT.

A PEASANT blowing near the village of Por-
cuna, in SPAIN two weeks ago. turned up an
amphera filed with gold and silver coins, all in
good state of preservation The gold coins
are somewhat larger than 25-cent piece, and
the silver ones about toe size of dime. On one
side OF both is the inscription, 'SabIna Augusta
Hadriana, G. r. A., " and on the reverse is ca
graved the figure of q Roman foot soldier.
SNAKES 60 not bite, says New Orleans
physician who has studied snakes considerably.
They can't, he says because their jaws are con-
nected only by a cartilage are not hinged and
The snake simply hooks the fangs in its upper
jaw into the object aimed at. the lower Jaw not
igurlng in The act at ell The act is very SINH
lar TO that of a man striking cotton-hook into
bale Of cotton, or boat hook into pier.
DR.. SANERMANN publishes in the Gazette de
Francfort some interesting remarks about arti-
fetal coloratlon of birds. Canaries, he SAYS
when fed with cayenne pepper gradually change
their color, passing from yellow to red. Cay
enne pepper contains q tinctorial substance, an
Initiative principle and an oil. When the last
two substances are extracted by sleeping in
alcohol, pepper loses its colorinE properties, but
an addition OF olive oil restores them. From
this fact the conclusion is drawn that the oily
principle of pepper is the necessary vehicle Of
color Experiments made with white hens gave
similar results, These hens have also the quality
of being able to Indicate changes Of tempera-
ture by a marked change of plumage. The yolk
of their eggs is bright red.
The famous Hindoo god, Lngam, is now
owned by an English gentleman of culture, who
paid a sum equal to $4,000 for it at an auction
sale of East India relics in 1898, says the Phila-
delphia p ess This sacred image stands but
1919 inches high, but small as it is. il is well
worth its weight in first water diamonds. The
base Of the figure is OF pure hammered gold aud
around it set nine gems-a diamond, ruby,
sapphire, chrysoberyl, cats eye, coral, pearl,
hyacinthiue garnet, emerald and mOonstoae
"a M nf 6urnr N-bF oh 10 in
Of a pyramid, Is encrcied with plinth set with
small bat very fine diamonds. The pinnacle Of
the pyramid is a topaz one and ten-sixteeuth OF
an iEch ii length and nine sixteenth of inch
in depth, TINS in shape of a horseshoe, the cen
ter being cats eye of exceeding briianCy.
When the bad shah, q" last KING of Delhi, was
captured and eXiieI TO the Andaman islands, his
queen secreted this idol and it was never seen
again until r cent research brought it to light.
whereupon it was taken to London and disposed
of to MIR. Spencer as above related.
JUDGING by appearance, says the M 'i0ndl
ReUietr, one would think that the Sicilian peas
antry are in the last stage OF poverty. That is
to a great extent the case; but one must not be
altogether guided by outward sisns for, how
soever well off they may he, they seldom make
any change in their way of living. They oil live
by preference in the towns. Even those that
are employed in tie country during build mud
novels for that time, and flock back TO the
towns on Saturday. TIE women have no
national dress and no distinctive characteristic
DSyOtu tnS love OF DFlkQJ cO!Ors, WhlCl seems
Unborn IN all southern natures The men, ON the
contrary, are pictureSquely clad in back and
Whlte-black trousers 70 the knee slit some
twelve inches up the outside seam to 1T out a
bullying white linen undergarment, sheepsRin
leggins strapped on with thongs, and mecca
sins; white Shirt open at the neck, with full
white sleeves gathered in at the wrist, and over
this black, sleeveless vest, a black cloth cap
hanging over the ear. The time-honored SUI
perstition of the "evIl eye" is still so widely
spread throughout the island even among the
upper classes, that no one who does not wear a
charm is considered safe.
IT may be Of interest to such readers asIIike
to sentimentalze on sacred subjects to know
that the "holy pigeons Of st. Marks" have been
recognized as such by the authorities of Venice
for more than 1000 years-ever since the year
81. In the oldsn time IL was the custom OF the
sacristans Of St. Marks church to release doves
and pigeons, fettered with paper after the re-
ligious services Of Palm Sunday. The letters
partially disabled the poor birds, and such OF
those as did not escape were caught by the
people who fatted them for Easter
times dozen of tbs poor hut-
tering creatures would manage to
break the parer thongs which bound wings and
Feet together, whereupon they almost inVari-
ably sought refuge on the roof and in the
steeples OF the historic old church. All of the
escaped birds assumed a certain sacredness
and, 1t being against the law to kill or harm
them in any way increased to enormous num-
bers During the time OF the republic the
sacred pigeons of St. Marks" became objects
OF national solicitude, tons of grain being an
nCally supplied for their maintenance After
the fall OF the republic thousands of them
starved to death. and all would have died but
for provision made by pious old lady, whose
Will perpetually provides for them.
ONCE there was a peculiar significance at
tached to rings. They were regarded as O.
token of authority. The emperors sgnet ring
placed in the hands of an official invested him
for the time with his masters power Rings
are first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis
XII, xiii: "And Pharaoh took his ring from
his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, aud made
him ruler over all Egypt" When the Israeltes
rings and bracelets and offered them to the
Lord" Ahasuerus gave the ring from his
hands to the Hebrews worst enemy, thus Civ
ing him unlimited control TO do with them and
their property whatever he pleased The
father received his prodigal son ioyfuliy.
and sealed his forgiveness by putting
ring on his hand, says Mrs. Henry
Ward Beecher in Godey's Ma0Gzlns.
The Egyptians regarded their rings both
as business vouchers and as ornaments the sig
net ring being always used for sealing doc1-
ments, and, however used, their rings vera
always buried with them-and 10 later wears
are often found in their tombs The signet
ring was usually of bronze or silver, but among
the rich gold rings were used for ornaments
Ivory or blue porcelain were wora by the poor
Plain gold rings, engraved with some motto or
the head of their deities were much priced: and
three or four we're often worn on the fingers
and also on the thumbs. Among the Jews no
one was in full dress without the signet ring
and ladies had their rings set profuselv with
costly gems-rubies emeralds and chrysoites
being the most valuable.