304 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
Chinese Foot-Rule. 
WEITEE in the North China 
Herald gives some curious in- 
formation respecting the foot 
measure in China. At present 
it varies largely in different parts of the 
country, and according to different 
trades ; thus the foot of the carpenter's 
rule at Ningpo is less than ten, while 
that of the junk buildei's at Shanghai is 
nearly sixteen inches. 
But a medium value of twelve inclies 
is not uncommon. The standard foot of 
the Imperial Board of Works at Pekin, 
is twelve and a half inches. 
A copper foot measure dated A.D. 81, 
is still preserved, and is nine and a half 
inches in length. The width is one inch. 
The small copper coins, commonly 
called cash, were made of such a size, 
sometimes, as just to cover an inch on 
the foot-rule. 
In the course of tw^o centuries it was 
found that the foot had increased half 
an inch, and a difference in the dimen- 
sions of musical instruments resulted. 
Want of harmony was the consequence, 
and accordingly in A.D. 247, a new meas- 
ure, exactly nine inches in length was 
made the standard. Among the means 
employed for comparing the old and 
new foot, are mentioned the gnomon of 
official sun-dials, and the length of cer- 
tain jade tubes used according to old 
regulations as standards. 
One of these latter was so adjusted, that 
an inch in breadth was equal to the 
breadth of ten millet seeds. A hundred 
millet seeds or ten inches, was the foot. 
The Chinese foot is really based on the 
human hands, as is the European foot 
upon the foot. 
It strikes the Chinese as very incon- 
gruous when they hear that we measure 
cloth, wood- work, masonry, etc., which 
they regard as especially matters for the 
hand, by the foot. 
Of the jade tubes above mentioned, 
there were twelve, and these formed the 
basis for the measurement of liquids and 
solids, four thousand years ago. They 
are mentioned in the oldest Chinese docu- 
ments with the astrolabe, the cycle of 
H 
sixty years, and several of the oldest con- 
stellations. It is likely that they will 
be found to be an importation from Baby- 
lon, and in that case the Chinese foot is 
based on a Babylonian measure of a 
span, and should be uiue inches in 
length. 
Canaries: How to Keep and Breed 
Them.-lII. 
BY GORDON STABLES. 
N my last article I recommended 
the reader to get his cages all 
ready for bis coming favorites 
before buying them, and to get 
only young, strong, healthy birds, if 
possible from a prize stoain. These ques- 
tions, then, naturally suggest themselves : 
Wliere shall I buy my cages ? and where 
shall I procure my birds '? and how much 
sliould they cost ? Buy your cages, as I 
have already observed, at a respectable 
bird-cage maker's, such as will be recom- 
mended if you write to this journal for ad- 
vice in the matter ; a good breeding-cage 
for a single pair will not cost more than 
from $3.00 to $5.00, furnished. Or you 
may see cages advertised in any of the 
cheap " exchange " papers, only be very 
careful how you deal witli strangers. 
If you possess what the Scotch call 
"the bump of gumption," you will be 
able to buy a very good pair of canaries 
at a bird-dealers for about five or six 
dollars ; but it would be better to obtain 
the assistance of some one who knows 
good birds, and can recommend a par- 
ticular strain or breed to you. If you 
want high-class birds, the addresses of 
successful exhibitors can always be ob- 
tained by procuring a prize catalogue of 
any show of the kind. How are you to 
get this ? Why, write to the secretary 
and enclose the price of the catalogue 
with a polite note of request. 
Bird-seed ought to be got as pure and 
good as possible. See that it is free from 
dust; sift it well, and keep it in clean, 
dry jars or pickle-bottles. Sea-sand is 
the best to be put in the bottoms of the 
cages. The birds ought to have a liberal 
suppl^^ of it, and it should be clean. You 
can buy it at a grocer's. A little old lime, 
broken well up, may now and then be 
