The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-25
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

NIIeuI 6TlIdln COIlDlleus anu lOul anu
half times as many as Germany, the
only one of our near competitors which
makes novelty researches before grant
ing patents.
Dean Hole, the celebrated English
divine, while preaching in a parish
with which he was not familiar receiv-
ed a request that he offer up prayers
for Nellie Gray. He did so and found
next day that Nellie Gray was a race
horse whose condition had caused
anxiety in a district much interested
in her training.
In Nebraska, where whole town
ships are covered with prairie dog viii
lagos, an expedition of scientists is
experimenting with methods for eXter-
minating the pests. The most effec-
tive means used hitherto is the put
ting into their holes lighted balls of
cotton saturated with carbon blsul-
phide, which gives off a deadly gas.
DIR. Robert Stordy a government
veterinary surgeon in British East AT
RIGA, has been making experiments in
the dOmestication and training of the
zebra, in a huge Enclosure of Uaivasha.
A German officer recently brought down
thirty zebras to German East Africa
for export to Germany. 1t is said that
for many purposes the zebra, if proper
ly trained, is far better than the horse
and mule.
Quite a touching picture was con-
jured by Sir William Crookes and Sir
Edward Fry during the formers evil
dence before the London Water Arbi-
tration Board. A cubic centimetre
of pure water, said Sir William, might
contain 10000 microbes. And those
microbes might all be friends?" in
quired Fir Edward Fry sentimentally
Yes" said Sir William, AL friendly
microbes. Most of them are police
men,
Each crew of a naval vessel con-
sists of seven men besides the captain
of the turret. who has general charge.
There are two guns in each turret, 50
that when in action there are in q tur-
ret fifteen men. At each gun there is
a pointer, a trainer. a sight setter, a
hammer man. a hoist man, a breech
lock man and a loader. Each has his
station, and the seven men practically
become part of the gun, working to-
gether like a machine.
The dog policeman is the newest Of
fetal on the force of Client, Belgium.
The particular duty of the police dog
gle will be as an emergency man."
The officers are stationed at various
intervals in the street, the dogs being
held in leash at points between two
beats" When the emergency man"
is needed the policeman blows a trum-
pet. At the sound the animals are
loosed, and rush to report for duty.
They are trained to spring into the
water, follow a track or join a man
hunt along the docks.
The kitchens of the Emperor Jo-
seph's palace at Budapest are consid-
cred to be the most modern and in
every way the finest in Europe. In
reality, these kitchens are two separate
ranges of buildings, one being a small
er but exact reproduction of the other
and larger series. This smaller kitchen
contains separate offices for the chef
and his chief assistants, besides the
kitchen proper. There are gas, oil and
coal stoves, electric lamps and other
apparatus, and all of the processes of
shredding, chopping and otherwise
treating food by means of electricity.
The larger .kitchen,.is for state ban
quets and balls, and when it is in. use
the whole culinary staff of the imperial
palace in Vienna, numbering some 200
persons, is taken to Budapest.
The cutting of the British flag
which draped the base of the monu-
ment to Capt. Nathan Hale during the
recent visit of the Honorable Artil-
lery Company of London to New York,
and the adding of the words, Lest
we forget" reminds an English pa
per of a similar incident in London In
Westminster Abbey there stands a very
interesting monument erected in honor
Of Andre, and one of it's features is a
small figure of the soldier carrying a
flag of truce. Some years ago the au-
thorities of the abbey found that the
head of the figure had been knocked
off. The head was replaced repeated
ly, only to be knocked off again, and
this vandalism continued for some
time. fierce discussion arose as to
whether racial feeling or mere love of
mischief was the motive.
The Kaiser lately reviewed a feath-
cred veteran of the German army. One
of his regiments has a pet magpie,
which is full of militarism and very
proud of it's parade step. When the
Kaiser visited the regimental quar-
! ters recently he asked Tor this accom-
plished bird. In "L'Illustration" there
is picture of the incident There is
the Kaiser sitting sternly in the sad
die, and there is the maybe with its
martial stride, and there are the Off
GERS of the regiment, with mingled
anxiety and pride plainly marked on
all their faces. Who can be sure of a
magpie's tongue? He might have turn
ed upon his sovereign with some ex-
preston of private judgment worthy
of a Socialist editor Who can doubt
that, after such offense, he would
have been tried by court-martial for
leze majesty and imprisoned in a fort
ress?
That peculiar native of South Afri-
ca, the secretary bird, so-called because
of the feathers on it's head, which look
as if it carried q pen behind its ear.
is far more of a pedestrian than a fly
er, ranging all day in search of food
over large eXpanse of country. 1t
seldom takes to wing from choice, but
is great traveller on foot. That when
hungry and hard put to it for food the
secretary occasionally attacks, van
cuisines and deVours poisonous snakes
OF considerable size is undouhted. But
this is by no means so frequent an
occurrence as the old naturalist be-
lieved. The bird fully understands his
risk in these encounters and takes his
measures accordingly. He attacks the
snake in a very wary manner feint-
ing with his wings and waiting his
opportunity. When that comes he
buffets the snake heavily with his
wings, strikes it with his strong feet,
and, having partially disabled it,
breaks it's vertebra with a blow or two
Of In n 10 nnlx 4