Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-09

world that can answer as many legiti-
! mate questions as our free Information
Bureau In Washington. d. G. This
! highly organized institution has been
built up and is under the personal
direction of Frederic j. Haskin. BY
! keeping In constant touch with Federal
bureaus and other educational enter
prises 1t Is IN a position to pass on
to you authoritative information of the
highest order. Submit your queries to
! the staff OF experts whose services are
| put at your free disposal. There is
no charge except . cents In coin or
stamps for return postage Address
The Evening Star Information Bureau,
/ Frederic j. Haskin. Director, WASH
/ ington, D. c.
G. Does ice remain at one tempera-
ture or docs 1t vary with the ARP. @.
A. 1t varies according to the sur
rounding air. 1t may be just q little
below the freezing point or IL may be
much colder.
| @. Why den the tone OF a whistle
on an interurban Car seem to drop its
/ pitch after the car passes?-E. E. s.
A. The Bureau of Standards says
that as the car recedes the sound waves
are heightened, as referred to some sta
tionary point, and the pitch is there
| fore lowered. The reverse effect takes
place when the car is approaching.
@. When did French become the Ian
guage OF diplomacy?-C. A. s.
| A. AS the language for treaties and
foreign intercourse between nations 1t
became general In the time of Louis
XIV Q643-l715). At conferences of
representatives of various nations there
are interpreters present to make the
proceedings clear to each member.
! Treaties are generally translated into
| all the languages of the countries rep
| resented.
| @. What is the meaning Of the word
| "musher"?-N. T.
| A. A musher is an Alaskan foot trav-
! eler or courier who goes along with a
| dog team "Mush" Is from the French
| word "marchonsi"-a cry of the
voyageurs to their dogs.
| @. Has a picture of Betsy Ross ever
appeared on postage stamps?-E. J.
| A. There has never been printed a
stamp bearing the portrait of Betsy
| Ross.
@. Should an apostrophe be used in
| the word "hers"?-P. N.
| A. An apostrophe is never used with
the possessive pronouns, Its, ours, hers,
yours and theirs.
@. Please give the highest number
OF words written on a typewriter in one
minute?-C. w. w.
A. The Underwood Typewriter Co.
says that the highest official record ever
made in competition on typewriter Is
| ITO net words a minute. This record
was made by Miss Margaret B. Owen,
| former world professional champion.
| Any of the Underwood professional
| operators can write more than 200 net
words a minute on practiced special
speed sentences in which the words are
monosyllabic. In fact, more than $50
| words minute have been written on
such material but such speeds do not
mean anything. and are not to be COM
pared with the record made by Miss
| Owen. which was all new matter in open
| competition against the worlds fastest
writers.
@. Do fish actually climb trees or
migrate from one pond to another
| C. NJ
| A. The Bureau of Fisheries of the
| Department of Commerce says that the
| fish TO which you refer is evidently the
climbing perch, AnaDaS ScandenS. While
| 1t spends most OF its life in water, it Is
able to migrate over land from one pond
! to another. and Ii seems probable that
| 1t also occasionally climbs trees and
bushes, although 1t does not habitually
| do so. 1t is enabled to live out of water
| for several days at time by virtue Of
| Its having an accessory breathing organ
which retains water and thus keeps the
gills moist. The climbing perch Is q
fresh-water fish. but 1t also lives In
brackish water. In addition to the
climbing perch. there are three or four
| species Of niue. shippers. These are
small brackish-water fishes belonging
| to the genera Periophthalmus and Bole-
| ophthalmus. They are able to jump out
| Of the water and skip among the rocks
| and vegetation. where they chase in
sects. The climbing perch and the mud
| shippers are widely distributed through
/ the Malay archipelago. the Philippine
| Islands and the neighboring mainland,
including southern China, Siam and
| India.
c. Does solving puzzles do a person
any good?--R. r.
A. Solving puzzles may benefit a
person in various ways, particularly in
the exercise of mental movers MANY of