Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1900-12-03
AN ANTARCTIC OASIS.
A Queer Discovery Made During the
 Recent Expedition


 Recent Expeditien
 Recent antarctic discoveries by the Belgian expedition, are described in the Century for January by Mr. Fred eriek A. Cook of Brooklyn. whose arti- cie is very fully illustrated. An oasis In a snowy wilderness" is the phrase he employs in characterizing certain bit of the antarctic land. Being stin unwilling to advance into the unknown region before us while enshrouded in mist, We drew near a prominent mocn- tam peak to make a deharlsment The ellff was a perpendicular cliff, free Of snow to the seashore. It was one of a lumber extending far into the south east, as we learned on the following day. We made debarkment at it's oase. Here was life in profusion, as indeed there was on every rock where lie could gain footing. The noise from the birds, which re-echoed from ellff to cliff, was deafening. The lower rocks were lined with snoring and grunting sea-leopards. Columns of yapor rose above the water. followed by hiss like that of stealn engine, and seconG later the blue back of whale, with its long fin and ponderous tail, lashed the water into a foamy whirlpool. The great wall of land-ice rose to each side of the black cliff, Which gave us a shelf as landing place. From this wall came frequent sounds like the explosion of a cannon, which were followed by a splash and a eommotion in the water. With such reports parts of the wall would con. stantly break away and fall into a mll- u0n pieces, streWing the water with small fragments Of ice. but not with ieeberga Above us rose a cliff to an altitude of about 2,O00 feet; out from this were projecting mante1-like rocks, which served as resting places for The cormorants and sea-gnlls. Here the young ones, dressed in gray down. coaxed their mothers for food. We ex- peeted to see the little things drop from tbeif narrow resting places, to be de- stroyed on our heads or on the rocks below, but such an accident rarely hap pened. Our greatest surprise here was the discovery of large quantities of moss and lichens, which gave the spot an unexpected appearance of yegeta- ble life and color. After seeing noth- ing but ice and black rocks for so many days, this sight of green and brown and red amid en endless expanse of Icy desert was a great relief. It was
 7attrs Parrots.
 Patti has two wonderful parrots, ono cf whom talks all day long, and imi- tates it's mistress trills and staecati in an amazing fashion, and who tbelieve me, for I have heard him) can even compose the most elaborate melodies. says a correspondent. The other par, rot--Jumbo by name-is an oddity. Patti bought him for $20G in New York, where he was reputed to be the finest talking parrot alive. Once in her possession he became dumb. h vain they tried to coax him to con- verse. Months went by until one morning the prima donna woke with bad sore throat. Send for the doctor" she cried, flor I have to sing tonight" The doctor duly arrived. As he entered the noom the parrot uttered his first and last words. "Oh! doctor" he ex- claimed. in a strong Yankee accent I'm so sick!" And since that day. now several years ago, he has not Ut cred q word Baltimore NSwA
 Tho Upturned Mastache
 Aprupos of the statement that several portraits of Charles I. by Van Dyck, showed the same fierce mustache which the kaiser is SD fond of, a German monthly nov comes forward and ob- serves that the "upturned mustache" was really invented at the court of Philip ". of Spain. Charles l., being m ;x,1 To- !, Ivy