Bird Without Wings NEW ZEALAND is a land of sur

prises, a country where things go largely by contraries, but perhaps the most peculiar freak of animated nature to be found even in that strange land is the kiwi, a bird without wings. This singular creature is the only wingless bird known to the naturalists, and though robbed of its flight, a right which seems to belong to birds, it has a pair of legs which enable it to flee from danger and also afford it means of defense. The kiwi inserts its long beak into the soft earth in quest of worms, from which it chiefly derives a means of living.

Helgoland's Novel
Light

THE Helgoland lighthouse of the Frisian Islands is equipped with a remarkable light that is a novel departure from the old methods of construction. Instead of the whole illuminant being surrounded by the reflector, there are three parabolic lenses which revolve four times a minute, throwing out three great independent beams visible at a distance of twenty nautical miles on the surface of the water. So intense are the lights that they can be seen when the lighthouse itself is below the horizon.

Bottles Make

OU

Home

the

UT in the mining towns of Nevada the miners frequently build some very curious houses, but it is a question if any is more curious than the one shown in the accompanying photograph, for walls of this dwelling are made almost entirely of glass bottles. The bottles were piled in regular tiers one above the other from the ground to the roof and cemented to each other principally with mud, which was plastered

between the bottles, and, when dry, held them firmly in position. This interesting home is not only very warm and comfortable in the winter time, but is unusually light because the sun's rays pass through the bottles as well as the windows that have been made in the front part.

Safe Cracked in Public THE accompanying picture shows the

result of a safe blowing contest which recently took place in the suburbs of Youngstown, O., at which not only ex

THE SAFES AFTER THE EXPLOSION.

HOUSE BUILT OF BOTTLES.

pert cracksmen were present but about one hundred and fifty bankers who had been invited to witness the affair. The contest narrowed down to a safe manufactured of chrome steel and another composed of manganese steel. Each was subjected to three explosions, applied in the same manner and of equal power. Two pounds of dynamite were first used,

It

placed upon the top of the safes. opened the joints of the chrome steel

safe. In the other instance it made a dent a half inch in depth in the top, knocking off some of the enamel cover

ing. Next a charge of four ounces of nitro-. glycerin was applied to the chrome steel which cracked the framework, forcing out the circular door to the extent of several inches. A charge of the same quantity merely seared the enamel of the other safe. A second of the same quantity of nitro-glycerin blew the door of the first safe from its hinges, bending a portion of the inside plates, wrenched the framework as shown in the picture and broke the metal lining into scraps.

A similar charge applied to the other destroyed more of the enamel but apparently did no other damage until the safe was opened. Then it was found that the glass plate confining the time lock had been shattered. The lock had been "wound" to open the safe shortly after the time appointed for the tests. When the door was opened it was found that the operation of the clock work had not been affected.

When the Snow Melts HERE is a picture that shows in what a curious way snow sometimes melts. It is a photograph taken in the Rocky Mountains, in a very rough and rugged country, where deep snowfalls are not infrequent. Owing to the roughness and ruggedness of the territory, the

snow, in the process of passing away from the landscape, often assumes aspects which are not merely odd, but absolutely weird-as illustrated by the accompanying view.

Snails as Scavengers

IT has been noticed that snails are prevalent wherever there is some description of decay or fungoid growth, but few of us realize that the snail is one of Nature's

scavengers, owing his existence to just such conditions, and by preferably consuming decayed matter, parts of stalks, etc., and fungoid growths, it aids in the promotion of health.

The following is an experiment that shows some of the work that a few snails can do: A few gold-fish were in a

large glass vessel; in order to promote both their health and growth, some growing water - plants were placed in the vessel, but matters did not progress as was expected; the fish pined, the plants drooped and the whole vessel was pervaded with a fungoid growth; in fact, entire destruction seemed inevitable. A few snails were added to the establishment and matters proceeded well from that time. The unhealthy growth disappeared, the fishes and the plants both revived and the water returned to its original purity.

"Human Bug" WM. F. RAM S

HAUER, of New York City, who calls himself "The Human Bug," entertained a great part of Cincinnati and the inhabitants of the Kentucky hills with an acrobatic performance on a flag pole recently. Ramshauer

PERFORMING ON A FLAG-STAFF.

stood on his head, balanced himself on his feet, swung himself like a flag. and sat cross-legged like a Turk, reading a newspaper, on the gilded ball that surmounted the 30-foot staff on the nine-story building. Crowds gathered on the down town streets and on the hills on the other side of the river and watched the steeplejack work.

All the while the pole swayed, but the "Human Bug" wasn't nervous. It was the first time he wasn't nervous for a week. He says he is always nervous when he is down on the ground, and is at his ease near the clouds. Ramshauer smokes cigarettes, which are supposed to make people shaky.

Hawking in the Sahara NOWHERE else in the world, perhaps, will you find birds who support families, except in the Mohammedan countries of North Africa, where falcons and hawks are in common use for this purpose. One is amazed to learn that the Arabs release them each spring for the breeding season, and catch a fresh "team" in the fall; although the same birds are frequently captured several years in succession, and take up their strange duties of providing for Arab. families with the utmost willingness.

A team of falcons in the Sahara usually consists of four families and one male, jessed and leashed with strips of gazelle-skin stained red. Beaters rout out flocks of bustard and partridge. When the falconer hands up the "star" bird, and places her on the top of his head, where she clutches the silken folds of his turban with tenacious claws, he spurs his horse into a gallop, and suddenly giving a peculiar shrill cry, releases the bird which shoots into the air like a rocket after the fast disappearing game birds. Her swiftness of flight is altogether remarkable. She overtakes the flock and pounces upon one of the finest bustards, which she brings to earth without a struggle.

HAWKERS OF THE SAHARA DESERT.

falling near the track. It was torn entirely free from the platform trucks, drivers, etc., but the latter part of the engine remained partly intact. The momentum of the train drove everything forward, until the wrecked end crashed violently into the detached boiler. It was a paradoxical case, where the engine had literally collided with its own boiler.

To Anchor Posts THE accompanying illustration repre

sents a non-bearable post, the invention of Percy T. Bailey, Melville Station, Newport, R. I. It is particularly adapted for use on metal fence posts. It consists of a series of prongs mounted in such a way that when driven down they curve outward and are imbedded in the ground on all sides of the post. Thus, even if subjected to a side strain, the post firmly maintains its upright position. There are two sets of these anchoring prongs to each post. Each set is at right angles with the companion pair. By means of two upper and lower bolts, which pass through the head of the post, a plate is secured to the lower end of the post.

Resting against opposite faces of the *flange, between the head and this plate, are two anchoring prongs, which consist of narrow plates of metal, pointed at the lower ends. The prongs pass under the upper bolts, but the points curve out over the lower bolts, so that when driven downward they spread outward. Near the top of the ground a pair of straps are bolted to the post. These are bent to form sockets, in which the upper pair of

prongs are seated. The straps are framed with offsets, causing the points of the prongs to curve outward when driven down. The post is driven by using a maul, first making a hole of the required depth with an ordinary crowbar or post hole auger. The anchors are then driven in place, the lower ones first, with the aid of a rod and maul.