The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-24
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

De Moreal. the French statistician, has
been figuring on the gradual diminution OF
Insight In the human family with some aston
lshing results. He finds that in the year 1910
the average height Of man was LIS meters. or
about feet inches. In 1870 IL was feet
inches: in 1920 feet 3 inches. At the pres.
ent time II is but feet 3A inches. From
these figures the St. Louis Republic SAYS, il
is easy TO deduce the rate Of regular and
gradual decline in human stature. Figuring
both ways from the present we ind that the
height Of man in the beginning" was 10 feet
inches, and that the average man OF the
year 1900 A. d. will be less than IS inches high.
The longevity statistics Of government en-
ployes gathered by the Dockery commission
are interesting, says Good Government 1t
seems that there are 4l6 clerks 90 years old
and over, al between o. and C5 years Of age,
80 between % and 20, 1872 between 20 and
% between - and Sc 80 between 80 and IS
between s. and 80, and one who is past co.
There are 257S clerks between % and 30, the
numerous age class; 2.34S between 80 and 80,
2.O33 between 35 and 40. OF the 1905 clerks
in the departmental service s,76l are unGcr 40
years OF age. Some of the older people have
been many years in the government service;
5.S3S clerks have served for ten years l. 3SC
from twenty-five to forty years, aad 80 for
forty Years or more, while one has worked at
his desk sixty years.
1t will be a revelation to many people to
learn that the practice of Furnishing unruly
apprentices in the city of London by various
terms Of imprisonment without being brought
publicly before a police magistrate. Is still
carried into effect, says the Pail Mall Budget.
The power Of ordering such punishment is
vested In the city chamberlain, and the
oAenseS for which the apprentices are pun
ished are absence, coming late Of a morning,
ldleness and INSTRUMENTATION The lads are
confined in the cells OF the old prison in New
Bridge street, and are not permitted TO leave
the bulldin{ on any account during their term
OF confinement he only exercise they are
allowed is taken on the prem s IS and con
SlStS of walking and down the corridor for
periods of half an hour or twenty minutes
Before and after the large doors are opened.
In the cells the lads are permitted to read,
put THIS Is the only recreation allowed Their
diet is the same as in ordinary prisons, and
consists OF bread, potatoes, skilly, hot coffee
and water.
In Ottawa a snowstorm comes without
heralding, says writer IN the Boston Trans
cript You look out Of the window ana see
Hght fakes falling, and that is all, till the
next day S paper announces that trains are
from one to sixteen hours late. A visit to the
posto11ce discovers the fact that the mali is
lied up for the day; cannot get il or out
Heavy snowfal's mean a problem for the new
elet tries Ele, trlc sWeep ers with proIigous
brushes Slanting on before, go coursing down
the main street in 1eecy clio ID Of their own
making. startling the stea4lcst horses and
hating an audience of gazing pedestrians all
along the line. But car tracks are thus
cleared al the expense Of convenience to shop
keepers. SIelghS tilt along dangerously to-
ward the tracks and all ear street approach
to stores is Impossible. A pitched battle
in consequence rose one Gay between
tradeSmen and car company; ragged far and
long assisted by small COWS. Snow Hereby
shoveled back on the track was removed as
rapidly by the giant sweeper aided by lesser
electric power roaring aCk and forth through
the battlefield. Compromise followed and
then peaceful industry; gags OF men taking
the disputed Snow away. Sidewalk plows
quickly clear the way fer foot passengers
after storm. One is startled by meeting a
horse advancing SmartlY along the crowded
sidewalk, scattering oncomers in all haste
into street aud doorways. Juggling past with
plOw and nus andman with throng Of people
III the fdrroW In odd professional effect. The
wide white path is made as smooth as con-
crete, stretching away unSullied in the less
busy districts. down straight tree bordcred
ayenl past tall snow heaped stone gate
posts and Enthusiastically showed fences and
houses The pretty picture stays day by day
practically unaltered, for nature in Canada
has no mid winter business in the way Of
altering her handiWork.
The aphls, which Is known by the common
name Of plant louse,' is an chronological
enigma as well as an agricultural pest. The
dentists do not pretend to know just ex-
actly how many varieties Of aphis browse on
the green things of nature, but some authori-
tics estimate them ct coo large proportion
OF that numr or having cen named and classi-
lied A single insect Of any OF these species
Of aphis may become the progenitOr of Millions
| OF young even during its own lifetime.
Latrlelle, who is reEarted by the St. Louis
Rcpuulc as an acknowledged authority
on this branch of entomology. makes some
curious and interesting calculations: A fe-
male Will produce young at the rate OF about
twenty-five a day during the summer months.
and as each Immediately becomes the
| progenItor Of others one aphis may pos
| sioly be the mother Grandmother. great
| grandmother. etc., ct al. OF the enormous
| number Of 1904 ,5UO OUJ individuals by the end
| OF the season. Yongard and Morren, who
| are c iually as good authorities as Latriele
| extend this numi ec INTO quntillious as beng
| within the car l1ties OF single mothers
| efforts. / he late Prof Huxley once made
| calculation viii h affords some idea Of what a
| quintillion Of aphidcs hight mean: Assum-
| ing that an aphiS will not weigh more than
! the one thousandth part Of grain. and that
| man must very heavy in or-er to weigh
| more than 900 600 grains the tenth brood
| of aphldes alone without adding the product
OF all the intermediate generations If all the
| members Of this immense family should sur
| vive the many dangers to which they are ex-
| posed, would contain more ponderab.e sub
/ stance than 800 t0).O0O men. In other words
| they would outweigh the entire population of
| China.
| Long Beach, the narrow strip of sand seven
miles from the mainland on which the village
| of Beach Haven. n. j.. stands, contains the
only tribe of tailless cats in the United s. ates
! These CATS were not detailed, says a cor
! respondent OF the St. Louis Globe u emoc rat
| hey were orn without tails. Early in this
| century large English brig was wrecked on
I
| total Vs. eek but the sailors lives were saved
| and so were the lives of a lot OF cats These
| felines came from the Isle OF Man and be-
| lonEed to a curious breed, found only on that
| island known as Manx cats At first the ami
| mails were quite tame, and frequented the vi
| entity of the light house, where they nightly
| held oren-air concerts that were not
| harmonious enough TO merit the appre-
| citation of the lightkeepers, and ulti-
| mately resulted in their being driven
| away. The telines took to the woods ana
| managed to sutsist during the first winter
| on birds, thousands of which lived in the
| swamps The cats increased rapidly in mum.
| Der and in few years small packs OF them
| could be found almost anywhere in Barnegat's
| WOODS, Their outdoor life made them saw
| age, and the breed seems to have increased
| in both size and courage. for eventually they
| became so fierce that hey would stand and
| show fight toward anyone who invaded their
| homes. ihey are curious looking creatures
| The front legs being shorter than their hind
| legs causes them to make big jumps as they
| go about yet it is said they can easily outrun
| an ordinary dog. The cats make
| good fishers, and when fish are plenti.
| full they go along the beach. and as the
! breakers run up en- the shore carrying
with them small butterhsh. mulets and
| silver bait. they jumped into the shallow
! water, and with their sharp claws pin a fish
to the sand. and the outgoing wave leaves
their prey exposed. Then, before another
breaker can roll in, they catch the hsh and
take it up on the dry beach and devour it, At
times dozens of these strange looking CATS
nua ba H.Ar al.