The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1896-12-10
CURIOUS FACTS.

u
Ito twelve parts Of two hours each.
The Italians reckon twenty -four
hours round, instead of two divi- |
sions Of twelve hours each, as we
do.
Microscopical investigation is
said to prove that the pores OF
wood invite the passage OF mols-
tuue in the direction of the tim
Iber's growth, but repel it in the
opposite direction.
Plants growing near the sea
have thicker leaves than those
growing inland. Apparently the
.sea-salt is the cause of this phe-
nomenon, as plants cultivated in
artifcially sailed soil yield thicker
leaves.
A miner in Staffordshire has re-
Gently discovered petrified arm
embedded in the solid stone or
ore. The popularity in the arm
lies in the fact that the elbow
Joint can be made to move to and
fro as though it consisted OF flesh
and blood.
AS to the distance one can see
when below the water, it is gov
erned entirely by the state of the
water. If clear, objects can be
distinctly seen forty or fifty feet;
but if dirty-that is, stirred up by
strong tides or rough water-it is
necessary to go on all tours to find
bottom.
st. Helena is probably the best
known of all the solitary islands
in the world. Situated in the South
Atlantic Ocean, it is 769 miles
from the nearest land-isle of AS
cension-and 1000 from the near
est point of the African continent.
It is ten and half miles long and
six and half wide.
The most famous pearl discov-
cred in Australia Of late years is
that known as the Southern Cross.
It consists Of a cluster of nine
pearls in the shape of crucifx,
and is almost perfect in proper
ton. This freak of nature was
picked up at low water on the
Lacipede Islands by beach comb
ser named Clark 1t was last sold
for $4,000.
It is not positively known when
paper was first made from linen
rags. An Arabian physician, who
visited Egypt in the year 1900,
states chat the cloths found in
the catacombs, and used to devel-
op mummies, were either made in
to garments or sold to make paper
and there being no doubt that
these cloths were linen, proves
that the use of this material in pa
per making is Of no mean antiq-
uity
A natural curiosity was shown
an timber merchants workshop:
this was the skeleton of bird en-
bedded in piece of beech. The
timber seemed quite sound all
round the cavity, and there was
no sign of any opening into it; but
the timber sawed up, a nest, with
bird sitting on it, was found
The nest appeared to be built with
mud, and the bird resembled tit
mouse Probably at the looping
of branch a cavity was formed
and the outside had subsequently
grown over.
A Manchester photographer re-
hates that he recently took pho
tograph of a child who was appar
emily in good health and had {
clear skin. The negative showed
the face to be thickly covered with
an eruption. Three days after
ward the child was covered will
spots due to prickly heat. The
camera had seen and photographed
the eruption three days before i
was visible to the naked eye L
is said that another case of SINH
lar kind is recorded, where a child
showed spots on his portrait which
were invisible on his face fort
night previous to an attack o
smallpox.
DR.. John Pryor of the depart
1nent of Oriental languages a
Berkeley, in California, has COM
into possession of volume of tn
famous encyclopedia published il
China in 1926 and containing a
that time five thousand volumes
The book is known as the ''Tu
shuchi Chez and is one of tn