POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



427 



to wear a crown — a small circlet of gold 

 set with strange jewels, that brings good 

 luck to any one who finds and knows how 

 to deal with it — otherwise it may bring more 

 harm than good. When it or any other 

 treasure is found, it must not be touched first 

 with the hands, but a part of the clothing 

 should be cast over it. A maiden should 

 use her apron for this purpose, but a man 

 may take his coat or even his pocket-hand- 

 kerchief. If a hat or any part of the head- 

 gear is used, the finder will go mad. These 

 snakes are thought to have a queen who is 

 far more terrible than they. A legend is 

 current at Friedbach that, in the old days 

 when it was vexed with suakes, a stranger, 

 Fridelo, came along, and promised to relieve 

 them, provided, if he should be killed, they 

 would say a mass for his soul every year. 

 He ordered a fire built around an oak-tree, 

 under which he placed himself. As the fire 

 burned, Fridelo began to sing, or whistle, 

 or call, and the snakes rushed into the fire 

 and perished. Finally, a white serpent ap- 

 peared, passed the fire, and bore Fridelo to 

 the fire on the other side, where both were 

 consumed. The district was ever after- 

 ward free from venomous creatures, and in 

 gratitude for the riddance a church was 

 built where the tree stood, in which serpent 

 masses are said. 



A Church-going Dog. — A story of al- 

 most reasoning intelligence is told of a dog 

 belonging to the Rev. R. Ashton, superin- 

 tendent of an Indian school and pastor of 

 the church at Brantford, Ontario. He at- 

 tends the church with the ninety Indian 

 children of the school, and rises and sits 

 down with the congregation. One day when 

 a stranger-clergyman had preached too long 

 for the dog, he bethought himself of a meth- 

 od for closing the service : he would have 

 the collection taken which he had associated 

 with the end of the sermon. He ran to the 

 boy who was accustomed to carry the plate, 

 and gazed steadfastly in his face. Finding 

 that no notice was taken of this, he sat up 

 and "begged" persistently for some time. 

 This also receiving no attention, he put his 

 nose under the lad's knee and tried with all 

 his strength to force him out of his place, 

 continuing this at intervals till the sermon 

 was concluded. 



Agricultural Maxims. — In the new edi- 

 tion of Stephens's " Book of the Farm " the 

 student of agricultural science is advised to 

 enter upon his course early in the winter, be- 

 cause most farming operations are begun at 

 that time. Two years are considered neces- 

 sary for a thorough grasp of the subject, 

 for he " can not understand the object of a 

 single operation in the first year of his pu- 

 pilage." Those who have not been bred upon 

 a farm and who can afford it, will find it 

 better to spend their time at an agricultural 

 college with a farm attached, than with 

 some " practical " man as a private tutor, 

 who is not gifted with teaching abilities. 

 Of the branches of science applicable to 

 agriculture are named botany, chemistry, 

 germs, zoology, entomology, geology, mete- 

 orology, mechanics, and engineering. Among 

 practical hygrometric indications is men- 

 tioned the vapor issuing from the funnel of 

 a locomotive steam-engine, "for when the 

 air is saturated with vapor, it can not ab- 

 sorb the spare steam as it is ejected from the 

 funnel, and hence a long stream of white 

 steam, sometimes four hundred yards in 

 length, is seen attached to the train. When 

 the air is dry, the steam is absorbed as it 

 issues from the funnel, and little of it is 

 seen." Other signs of weather are drawn 

 from the behavior of animals. According 

 to the calculations given in this book, most 

 plowing, including turning and time spent in 

 occasional stoppages, is done at the rate of 

 about a mile an hour ; and " a ridge of no 

 more than seventy-eight yards in length re- 

 quires five hours and eleven minutes out of 

 every ten hours for turning at the landings, 

 with a ten - inch furrow - slice ; whereas a 

 ridge of two hundred and seventy-four yards 

 in length only requires one hour and twen- 

 ty-two minutes for turning — making a differ- 

 ence of three hours and forty-nine minutes 

 in favor of the long ridge as regards the 

 saving of time " in one day's work. 



Distribution of Lakes on the Globe. — The 



distribution of lakes on the earth has been 

 studied by Dr. Bohm, of Vienna. Assum- 

 ing that lakes usually exist in groups, and 

 their origin is connected with the glaciers, 

 the author shows that there is a relation 

 between their situation and their altitude. 

 It seems proved that the height of mountain 



