STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT

AUCKLAND, SATUEDAY, JANUARY 7, 1882.

The Bear and Panther.

A HUNTER in North America once wit nessed a terrific combat between a bear and panther. He had thrown himself down by a forest lake to rest after the labours of the day, when he was suddenly aroused by the most horrible bowling. Presently a bear emerced from the wood, looking for a way of escape, but finding none. Snortly afterwards a panther appeared which at once atta_ked the bear, springing upon its back and assailing it in the fiercest manner. The two animals fought with the utmost fury for a considerable time; but at last the bear fell dead. As soon as the struggle was ended the panther went to tho lake to quench its thirst, and on its return a well directed bullet from the spectator of tho fight laid it low.— Little Folks' Slagatitu.

The Food of Sea Birds.

Nearly everyone knows that between the skin and the flesh of the whale there is a thick layer of a peculiar fatty, cr rather oily substance, called "blubber," placed therefor the double purpose of retaining the animal warmth of the body, oil being a non-conductor of heat, and actinjt as an elastic envelope which can resist the enormous pressure to which the whale is subjected when it dives. But everyone does not know that the oil is produced in such quantities that it is perpetually ex uded from the whale and floats thinly on the surface of the water. Yet it is not wasted. There arc certain little birds belonging to the petrel tribe which aro ex pressly made for skimming over the surface of the ocean, and may be seen fearlessly traversing the waves even through a storm which drives all other birds to shore. Some of these birds, called "mollies" by tho sailors, appear to live exclusively upon the superabundant oil that is produced by tbe whales. < Whalers say that they are never seen except in the ocean tracts where the whales abound, and no one has seen them eat in any other way than by. scooping up the floating oil as tbey half fly, half patter, over the surface.— Rev. J, G. Wood in the Sunday Magazine.

Substitutes for Kissing.

SOME rude races have strange substitutes for kissing. Of a Mongol father a traveller writes:—"He smelled frt>m time to time the head of his youngest son, a mark of paternal tenderness usual among the Mon cols instead of embracing." In the Philip pine Islands, we are told, "the sense of smell is developed to so great a degree that that they are able, by smelling pocket handkerchiefs, to tell to which person they belon*; and lovers, at parting, exchange pieces of linen they may be wearing, and durin"- their separation inhale the odour Of the beloved being. Among the Cittagong Hill people, again, it is said, the manner of kissing is peculiar. Instead of pressing lip to lip, they place the nose and mouth upon the cheek and inhale the breath strongly." Their form of speech is not "Give me a kiss," but "Smell me/ In the same way, according to another travel ler " the Burmese do not kiss each other in the western fashion, but apply the lips and nose to the cheek, and make a strong in halation." Moreover, "the Samoans salute by juxtaposition of noses, accom panied, not by a rub, but by a hearty smell." There is a Scriptural precedent for fitch customs. When blind Isaac was in doubt whether the son who came to him was Jacob or not, "he smelled the smoll of his raiment and blessed him.

A country dentist advertises that he spares no pains" in his tooth drawings. GINGERBREAD __.OAF.-2o_*. ginger beaten and sifted, Jib. moist sugar 1J flour, tea spoonful carbonate soda, fib. treacle, 7oz. butter, fresh melted and washed -a little; four eggs, well beaten, yolks and whites together. Mix all well together, line the tin with well-buttered paper, bake in rather cool oven. It burns very easily. .Halt pound of citron in good-sized pieces is an improvement.— Mater, in Queen,

Curio its Anecdote of Wolfe.

In making his arrangements, Pitt disre. garded, as far as influence to the contrary permitted him, the spurious claims of seni ority and gave the chief caramands to tho3o whom he thought must fitted. His sagacity perceived that no man was oetter qualiticd for tho expedition against Quebec than the young soldier, James Wolfe; and to Wolfe he accordingly assigned it. Yet, if we may believe a singular anecdote recorded by an eminent historian of our own times, he kad momen tary cause to doubt the* reasonableness of his selection when it was too late to alter the appointment. Wolfe, it will be recollected, , was in England when the command was conferred on him; and, on the day pre ceding his embarkation for Amciica, Pitt invited him to dinner that he might give him liia last verbal instructions. Lord Temple, one of the Ministers, whose sister Pitt had married* was the only other guest, and through him the anecdote has come down to posterity. Towards the latter end of tho evening, Wolfe burst forth into a strain of the most extraordinary gasconade. He drew hts sword, rapped i the table with it, flourished it about the room, and boasted of the mighty deeds it should achieve. His strange and unseemly conduct could not be attributed to excess in wine, for he had drunk but little. Whatever the cause, the effect was so staggering that the two states men looked at each other aghast; and when Wolfe had taken his leave, and his carriage was heard to roll from the door, Pitt- lifted up his eyes and arms in horror, and ex claimed, "Good God! that I should have entrusted the fate of the country and of the administration to such hands !"— CasseU's Illustrated History of the United States. _• ___

The Present Condition of Russia.

THE progress which Russia has made in two or three centuries is considerable. Its mind is. hardly formed, aud has muchditti culty in explaining itself. Let us wait till the nation has attained its majority before pronouncing any opinion as to its future. Hitherto we have seen only the germ of the first development of the Slav race.' Modern ideas have not yet stirred and fer tilised their mind. They are an inert mass, and have not received their first impulse. And bo up to the present time everything in the life of this people has become in coherent, irregular, and unexpected, just as it is with the forces of nature when in a state of formation. If thsre be barbarism, it is of a vigorous kind, which one aay will contribute to the development of humanity, just as it was of old with Ger manic ' arbarism in connection with the brilliant civilisation of Rome and Gaul. Besides, this barbarism is observable less in the manners of the people than in the proceedings of,the Government. Russians do not live in a savage condition like Hot tentots. Nothing can be more gentle and humane than the Russian peasant Mur ders are far. less frequent on the plains of Muscovy than in the streets of Berlin or Paris It is too often forgot ten that there are two Russias—at St. Petersburg an official, feudal, aristocratic, and bureaucratic Russia, half ■ German and •half European ; and on the enormous plains of the remainder of the Empire, a Russia clad in sheepskin, motionless and passive liko Asia its ancestor, dumb and rooted in its apathetic fatalism and its stiff orthodoxy, faithtnl to its traditions, tho roughly Russian, and enduring with all the resignation of a brute beast the yoke im posed on it by those who are possessed of all wealth, power, privileges, and rights. Between these two extremes there moves westerly the revolutionary world, a mere minority.isiuing forth from the upper strata of society, but isolated and receiving no support from the nation, and consequently obliged to conceal itself in the shade and to strike 'turriedly by means of mines, bomb shells, and daggers.— Hussions and Ger mans, by Victor Tissot.

About Lawn Tennis Costumes.

"IHAVEbeon playing lawn tennis with a young lady" (writes Major Walter Wins field, the inventor of that splendid game, to 'The Theatre'), and I have vanquished her. Sbe is younger and quicker than I am, and lawn tennis require, these qualifications, not great strength or vast endurance; so a woman can play as well as a man; this one did. How, then, did I win ? Listen, and I will tell you the secret I won tho game simply because I was dressed for lawn tennis, and she was not. Now why should this be ? When she goes out riding she puts on a riding habit. When she goes to bathe she puts on a bathing dress. Why, therefore, when she plays lawn tennis, does she not put on a lawn tennis costume ? Thus I muse, and then, as I lean back in my easy chair, I think what sort of dress she might wear, and a vision of a fair form clad in a tut_i_ of white flannel, with a roll collar, a kerchief of cherry silk tied round her throat, the loose ends show ing from under tho white collar, a skirt of 18 inches long, a cherry-coloured band around her waist, and a pair of continua tions of white flannel (such as men wear, only looser), floats through my brain. It seems a sensible dress and a modest dress that would shock no one. Yet I know women arc critical about each other's dress. What will thoy say -to such a startling innovation as this? I am nervous even about making the suggestion, and hopeless about it evcrljcing carried out. " Be that as it may, still, if any club will start such a uniform, the lady members will reap the greatest comfort, and compete with others on the most advantageous terms. '•After such a dress, I have liardly patience to namo others, but a Norfolk jacket with a kilt rcachiog half way down between the knee and the ankle, and with a Tarn o' Shanter cap on the head, would not be bad; neither would a vivandierc's dress or a Turkish costume, with pyjamas, and a top skirt down to the knees, bo un suitable. A jersey is a tomfortable gar ment, but I don't know how to finish it off below. Will Lady Harberton turn her attention to this matter. Sho will never have a better chance of introducing her divided skirt than as a lawn tennis "At this moment I am amused from my reveries by the butler, who himself docs mo the honour to valet me,bringin£ in my bath and my dress clothes. I ask him to wait a moment, while I roll up all the clothes I have been playing in—a set of flannels, lawn tennis shoes, socks, cap, and belt strapped round—and desire him to kindly take them down to the weighing machine iv the hall and weigh them. In a few minutes he returned with the weight written down on a piece of paper. lat once scribbled a note to my late opponent:

"'Dear Miss C: I have beaten you most unfairly. The clothes I was playing in only weigh five pounds and a quarter. What do yours weigh? Will you kindly let your maid weieh them—everything you had on—and let me know ? Yours, "W.W.

The butler begins to think I am not quite sane, but off he goes with the letter ; and when I come down to dinner I am in formed that it has been most conscientiously done, and that they weighed ten pounds and three-quarters. I saw the bundle ;it was a big one, but, of course, I was not allowed to investigate its sacred contents. The dress was a tweed tailor's made costume.

"It follows that my thirteen atone of flesh, bone, and muscle has only to carry live pounds and a quarter, while her nine stone is hampered with ten pound and three-quarters. If to-morrow she were to play the best man in this house, dressed as I have sug gested, and if he were handicapped by hav ing a railway rug strapped round his waist, tied in at his knees, and pinned up coquet, tisbly behind, I should be prepared to lay any wager that she would win."—From Harper's Bazaar.

To Prevent PiiEsrißiNC. Hands or Feet.—Take a seidlitz powder "before breakfast, occasionally ; every night take a small teaspoonful of powdered nitre in water, and bathe the reot or hand. with vinegar and water.

Selected Poetry.

AN IMMERSION AT WAIWERA.

.BY JOHN BLAOKMAN].

"T was Christmas time, and aU was gar, And brightly shone the sun On varying scones of Boring Day, In eighteen eighty-one. Walwera was the tranquil place, Tho fleeting hours to pass; In Nature's generous open faoe, Among the fern and grass. Away wo went with lightsome hearts, Across tbo summer sea. To share the good whloh Heaven imparts, And none more blest than we. Sweet music ministered to soul, As fast we sped along, Towards tho sheltered, festive goal, Of mirthful dance and song. Still on and on tho Bteamer passed. With unmolested sway, And not a single cloud o'eroest, The people'^ holiday. Waiwera's f oliaged clit& and dells Tho passengers aesoried, And, two by two, the " cockle shells " Came to the steamer's side. Walwera needs a decent pier, To save the rowing in, ' Those shallow boats make mortals fear .1 drenching to the skin. "Hold,*' cried the captain, "hold, enough, The boat can take no more." But one, in 'speech and manners rough Leaped down upon tho fore. At once were heard hoart-rendlng cries, "O save us. or we drown." And hundreds rushed, and with surprise, They saw the boat go down. Young men threw off their coats and braved Tho surges, rolling o'er; And, nearly spent, twelve souls were saved. And gently led ashore. Walwera, hemmed in by tho sea. Retreat of healing springs, Where soft wind blowing, fresh and free, A soothing influence brings. Still, fair Walwera needs a pier, Though unadorned and plain. For few who've been baptised wo Bid OMO To be immersed again.

ROLL CALL.

(FIIOM THE "ARGONAUT.".

' Corporal Green T tho Orderly cried. ' Hero I' was tho answer, loud and clear, . From the lips Of the soldier who stood near i And ' Hero!' was the word the next replied. ' Cyrus Drow!' then silence fell— This timo no answor followed tho call; Only his rear man had seen him fall. Killed or wounded, ho could not tell. There they stood in the failing light, Those men of battlo, with grave, dark looks, As plain to bo read as open books While slowly gathered tho shades of night. Tho fern on tho hillsides was splashed with blood, , ~ And down in the corn whero tho poppies grew, Were redder stains than the poppies knew; And crimson-dyed was tho river's flood. For the foo had crossed from the other side That day in tho faco of a murderous Are, That swept them down in its terrible Ire, And their lifo blood went to colour tho tide. 'Herbert Kline 1' At the call thoro came Two stalwart soldiers into the line, Bearing betwocn them this Herbert Kline, Wounded and bleeding, to answer his name. ' Kzra Kerr!'—and a voico ana wored * Here 1" • Hiram Kerr!'—but no man replied. __~.. Thoy were brothers, these two; the sad wind And a shudder crept through the cornfields near. ' Kphralm Dcano '.'—then a soldier spoke: _ ' 'Dcano carried our regiment's colours, he ' Where our ensign was shot I loft him dead, Just after tho enemy wavered and broke. 'Close to tho roadside his body lips; ' I paused a moment and gavo him drink; Ho murmured his mothor's name, 1 think, And death camo with it, and closed his eyes. i Twas a victory, yes. but it cost us dear— For that company's roll, when called at night. Of a hundred mon who wont into the light. Numbered but twenty that answered Here!

A STILL DAY IN AUTUMN.

(From the "Providence Journal."!

I love to wander through the woodlands hoary, In tho soft gleam of an autumnal day, When summer gathers up hor robes of glory. And like a dream of beauty, glides away.

How through each loved, familiar path sho Serenely'smiling through tho golden mist, Tinting tho wild grapo with her dewy fingers, Till tho 000 l omorald turns to amethyst—

Kindling tho faint stars of the hazel, shining. To light tho gloom of autumn's mouldering halls, _. , ~ ... With hoary plumes and clematis entwining, Whore o'er tho rock hor withered garland falls.

Warm lights aro on tho sleepy uplands waning llencath, dark clouds along the horizon rolled. Till tho slant sunboams, through their fringes Bathe all'tho hills in mclanoholy gold.

Tho moist winds breathe o£ crisped leaves and. flowers. In tho damp hollows of tho woodland sown. Mingling tho freshness of autumnal showers With spicy airs from cedar alleys blown.

Beside tho brook and on tho amborod meadow* Whero yellow torn tufts flock the faded ground, , , With foldod lids beneath their palmy shadow, Tho gentian nods, in dewy slumbers bound.

Upon theso soft-tinted lids tho boo sits brooding. Like a fond lover loth to say farewell; Or, with shut wings, through silken folds, in truding, , ~_.__„ Creeps near her heart, bis-drowsy tale to toll.

Tho little birds upon tho hillsido lonely Flit noiselessly along from spray to spray, Silont as a sweet, wandering thought, that only Shows its bright wings and softly glides away.

Tho scentless flowors in tho warm sunlight dreaming, Forget to brcatho their fulness of delight. And through the tranced woods soft airs are streaming. Still as the dowfall of a summer night.

So in my heart a sweet, unwonted feeling Stirs liko the wind in ocean's hollow shell. Through nil its secret chambers softly stealing, Yot finds no words its mystic charms to tell. Sarah Helen Whitman.

An unusual deviation from the ordinary theological path is reported on the part of a minister. It was like a descent from the sublime to the ridiculous when as a finish ing touch to a pootio dissertation on the beauties of nature, tho rev. gentleman said, "When I was coming along to church. I could not help thinking how beautiful all the crops looked, especially the fields, top-dressed with nitrate of silver,



TMcIVOR. Upholaterer and Undertaker. 52, - City Market. Couches and Chairs to order. A LL descripuons of Cabinet Making and Up A holatering done reasonably at JOHN EVANS. Parnell Riae. ___— —— GF.BRIMBLECOMBE. Queen's Hotel, Symonds-street and Kyber Pass R GEORGE date C. Wood), Butcher, Pamell, - suppli-s best quality Meat at lowkst (PRICES. -jr H WRIGHT, Tobacconist and Funcy A- Goods, Upper Symonds-street. J YOUNG, Family Grocer. Shortland-street, • Auckland. BEST Place for Ranges, OvenAStove| and Blacksmith's Work.-R. NICHOLLta. &b. Upper Queen-Btreet ___ CITY TMART, Victoria-street. Uroccnes and Provisions of beat quality.—Robert Rew. PUB LI 0 NOTI CE. "*■ W. PETTY, -Ladies' Jacket. Mantle, Stay and Corset Maker. Sole Agent for the Celebrated Cyclops Sewing Machines. To bo aold at English Prices Only. Note tho address— ; Upper Queon-street, opposite Army and Navy Hotel. DN. GARN IE R, , Manufacturing Jeweller, DEALER IN CURIOS Albert Street (near Star Hotel), Auckland All kinds of Curio3-Ornamental Kauri Gum, Wholesale and Retail; Shells of every deacnp tion mounted at moderate charges. An Early Trial is Respectfully foowciTSD Repairs of every description. On Parle rruui'ais. THE AUCKLAND GAS COMPANY, Limited. PURVEYORS OF LIGHT, HEAT, & POWER. Gas fittings, Gas Apparatus, and Gas Engines In Stock. _ FORT-STREET, AUCKLAND. QYMONDS STREET MEAT DEPOT. ENOCH WOOD, Family Butcher. Meat delivered at Mount Albert, Epsom, Mount Eden, Carlton Grove, Lower Symonds Street, Newton, and Eden Terrace. First-class quality; reasonable prices. Cash'cUßtomers liberally treated. Inspection Invited. WANTED KNOWN THAT H. WATT, general dealer. Grey Street, Has always on hand a Large and Varied Stoo .ot all kinds of Household Requisites at lowest Cash Prices. Now Selling Cheap; 470 Volumes of Assorted BOOKS. Good Salt Butter, 8d per lb. __ „ „ by the keg, 6d per lb. MRS. ROUNT RE E. MILLINER AND STRAW WORKER, WELLESLEY STREET, AUCKLAND, Has JUST opened a nice Assortment of Hats, Flowers, Feathers, Trimmings, etc., etc., SUITABLE FOR EHE SEASON. Hate Cleaned, Dyed and Altered to any Shape required. Feathers Curled and Dyed. All Orders for Millinery, etc., promptly attended to. With tho aldot machinery for pressing Hate Mrs. R. is enabled to undertake any orders that may be entrusted to her care. LOOK HERE! Corrugated Tanks, cheap, and always on hand. R. TUDEHOPE, UPPER QUEEN STREET, AUCKLAND, Gaafltter, Plumber, Bel-hanger, Coppersmith, and Zinc Worker. Hot Cold, and Shower Baths. Gas Fittings in every variety. . Work Done in the best style. > & J. EINSTEAD, .WHOLESALE & RETAIL BUTCHERS Victoria Street West, Auckland. Families waited on for ordere. Shipping sup plied. Corned Beef in ant Quantity. TTPPER SYMONDS STREET CHEAP U GROCERY STORE. J. HEAP, Family Grocer, Corner of Symonds nnd Ea9t Streets, la selling Groceries and Oilmen's Stores FOR ' cash as low as any house In the Trade. Good Family Tea at 2s por lb ; Excellent do. at 2s 8d; Bacon and Cheese as good and cheap as any house in town. , Trial and Inspection Invited •jTS R. T. W~R IGH T, IVJL A Business Man of 25 years' experience, Is now travelling on own account, also for Importers, in tho Leather, Grindery, .Sad dlery, Harness and Boot Trade, etc., an- Wholesale Upper Manufacturers. D A V E Y~, TAILOR, VULOAN LANE, AUCKLAND,! Ha3ju3t received New Spring Goods, consist ing of tho Neweßt Patterns of beat Mosglel, Chipping Norton, Scotoh Tweeds, Fancy Coat ings, and West or England Broad Cloths, etc. Inapection and Trial invited. WANTED, the Ladies to Know that they can get a flrat-class selection of Gloves at J. Gilmour's, Upper Symonds-street, 2 and 4-buttoned Kid. Jersey, Lace, and a great variety of Silk and Liale Thread, in Ladies and Children's. , FOR THE BEST AND CHEAPEST LINE IN TWEEDS, Try H. Robinson (late Stevenßon), junction of Queen and Grey streets. Trj^ my Suits at Hi 10s. Style and Fit^uaranteed. Give me a Trial. H. ROBINSON- I FREEMAN'S BAY ■ TEA WAREHOUSE. .JUNCTION OF PAITERSON. DRAKE, AND WELLESLEY-STREETS. J. BILLINGTON & SON Having opened out in their New Premises tho LARGEST STOCK OF GROCERIES ever ■offered to the inhabitants of Freeman's Bay, Ponsonby, and Franklin Road, are now in a ■position to execute all orders entrusted to them with care and dispatch. J. B. &S. would call the Darticuiar attention of their friends, and all connoisseurs, to their stock of NEW SEASON'S TEAS. Having paid very great care to the selection of the same, and holding one of the Largest Stocks of any Family Grocer in 1 own, they arc in a position to supply Teas of First class Quality and at the Lowest Price, J-B.ScS. wish to thank their numerous.friends for the very liberal support accorded them for tho last 11 years, and beg to assure them their object in the future shall be to supply First-class Goodsat the Lowest Posaiblo Prices. Families waited upon as usual, and all orders delivered free. Note tho Address :- J. BILLINGTON & SOX, BILLLINGTON'S BUILDINGS, Freeman's Bay.



ESTABLISHED, 1861. ESTABLISHED, 1861. AUCKLAND CENTRAL DRUG STORE Pharmacy, and General Medicine Warehoiise, JUNCTION OP QtJEEN AND VICTORIA STREETS, OPPOSITE THEATRE EOYAL AND UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA T« B. HILL, PEOPRiiiiTOBi IMPORTER AND DEALER IN Drugs, Chemicals, Medicines. Invalids' Requisites, and everything usually found in a first class Drug Establishment, SHIPPING, FAMILY, AND DISPENSING CHEMIST, Havin" made alterations in his premises for the greater convenience and dispatch of business, and as he imports direct from the best markets, pays cash for Iris goods manage., his business in his own family is H^lTnFßSOLDTd^always house in the trade, and, although not wishing to undersell, he » determined NOT TO BE WDEBBOM.and he always mtnoni _. it a favour when customers inform him of any article of the same CLASS and QUALITY being sold lower elsewhere. ffiwiNEOTraiSSSlß TO OjSeK OBIt&FITTED AT SHORTEST NOTICE. A good supply of healthy Leeches always in stock. New remedies in the Dispensing department received monthly. _____ay article not kept ia stock p__ursd at the shortest aoti.ee :ko:_s£ceo_p^t:h_ic medicines. A Consulting Room—open to all medical men, to whom he gives a cordial invitation and invites thei inspection—is amongst the improvements in the premises, which from its central position, he hopes will prove* mutually useful and convenient to both physician and patient. Medical Attendance and Vaccination Daily. COUNTRY STOREKEEPERS SUPPLIED ON THE BEST TERMS. WHOLESALE AND RETAIL.-LIBERAL DISCOUNT FOR CASH. .154 PACKAGES of carefully-selected Drugs, Chemicals, nnd Sundries now arriving per Loch Urr, Coromandel^ Bonus Empire, and Wellington, comprising Essence of Lemon very superior) Spirits of Winc r Acetw Acid, Sulphuric Aca, I_ffic AckNitrie^Acid, Tartaric Acid, Seidlitz. Salts, Volatile Salts Essence of Bergamot, finest Olive Oil, Carbolic Acid, Camphor, Quinine, lodide of Pottasium, Phosphorus, Strychniue, Methylated Spirit, ___c„ &c. N.B.—Special Quotations for large quantities. Other regular shipments to follow.



Goodwin's Baking powder in half-pound tins, Is 3d, sold by all the grocers; whole sale by all the merchants.— [Advt.]