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..spnclosed by the canal. i Lone Scouts will be glad to hear that & new book has been published by the Dominion Headquarters of the Boy: Boouts Association with the title of "Proficiency Badge Reference Book." | It is a handy little volume of 40 pages, bound in a stout green cover, ! and contains the picture and require- ments of each badge. The book fis! made to carry in your pocket, so that | it may be studied during your leisure moments. The price is 10¢, and copies may be obtained from Lone Scout Headquar- ters. Bird Houses Last week we suggested that the Lonies of this Province should get busy during the winter months and make homes for their feathered friends, and we are therefore publish- ing the following very useful hints on this subject, which have been written by Mr. F\ C. Irwin, M.A, the Assistant Provincial Commissioner for Ontario, "Building houses for the birds is great sport, according to two Sas- katchewan boys who bullt six nesting boxes recently, They found that their camping site was strangely de- serted by the birds which formerly made the days merry with their song and chatter so they decided that some- thing had to be done to attract them back. They found thelr inspiration on page 269 of the Boy Scout "Handbook for Canada." Perhaps you too would find inspiration there if you looked it up and would set to work to build homes for our feathered friends during these long winter months. don't like leaky cellings in their homes any more than you do. = Second, the floor of the house should have some small holes bored in {t to drain the nest in case rain should | be driven In at the entrance. Third, in order to sive sufficient depth to the nest and to prevent the little birds, after they are hatched, from falling out, the hole should be well above the floor of the box. Fourth, some kind of perch or ver andah should be provided at the door as an alighting place for the birds when flying to the nest, Fifth, 'the house must be placed so that the cats cannot reach it and also far enough away from houses so that the birds will not be afraid to use ft for nesting purposes. Feeding the Birds In addition to bird houses food tables and drinking dishes can be provided, but like the houses they should be out of reach of cats and in places where the birds will not be afraid to go. If the drinking dishes are kept full of water and the food tables are well sup- plied with wheat, screenings, bread crumbs, suet, cracked corn and an oc- caslonal feed of fresh cherries or rasp- berries the birds will come often and under circumstances which will give you splendid opportunities to better your acquaintance with them, A Scout {s a friend to animals. Why not be one by starting to be a friend to birds? Look up the requirements of the "Bird Warden's Badge." Then start In building bird houses, however, the following general principles should be kept in mind if the houses are to meet the needs of the tenants for whom ' they are being constructed. First, the house must have a roof|Bay Street, Toronto 2. Full particulars which will shed rain because birds!will be gladly sent to you.--"LONE E." in at once to qualify for it. You will find it to bo a very interesting hobby. For information about the Lone Scouts and particulars of how to join them, write to the Lone Scout Depart- ment, The Boy Scouts Assoclation, 330 od the appointment of the Countess of Bessgorough to Order of St. John of Jerusalem Dame of Grace. : The Order of St. John of Jerusalem | 48 conferred for services in the| cause of humanity throughout the; British Empire and it 1s open to both men and women. 3 There are five classes of the or der; . Balilifs and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames of Justice and of Grace, Commanders of both sexes, serving brothers and sisters. The aims and objects of the order include the maintenance of the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital at Jeru- salem, and the St. John Ambulance Association and Brigades in Great Britain and overseas, and the Lon- don Light and Electrical Clinic for the poor. ------ Flying Fur Trader all Covers 2,000 Miles Prince Albert, Sask.--That the aeroplane has definitely taken an important place in the fur trade of | Northern Canada was shown when "Del" Simons, veteran fur-trader, took off in a plane with William Broatch at the controls on a 2,000 mile flight, in the course of which he collected furs at various parts of the Northland 'and transported them to Winnipeg. Lac du Brochet and other points in the fur country were touched at in the trip which formerly required thirty-six Jays by antiquated methods of transportation. This year, Simons collected his furs, circled around by Churchill, took the cargo to Winni- peg, and arrived back home with his family in time for the New Year's dinner. ' - A rs Nevada Experiencing L i Low Temperature Weather, Canadian Wheat for Britain Reno.--In contrast to the mild tem-{ Sir Thomas Cuninghame in the Na- peratures of the East, the entire State] tional Review (London): Since we are of Nevada has experienced some of the largest absorbers of imported Junior Ryan all dressed up as an Aztec Indian as he led the band in the Philadelphia Mum- mers' New Year's parade. Ontario Marsh Lands Reclaimed 7,500 Acres Converted into Workable Soil For Market Gardening Toronto.--A wilderness of marsh may be turned into a veritable gar den as a result of a project for re- clamation on land recently complet- ed in Ontario. Converting 7,600 acres of marshy ground into work- able soil, the scheme already gives promise of yielding bountiful har vests. The reclaimed area, the townships and King about situated In of Gwillinbury and 30 miles north of Toronto, is known as the Holland It droins into the south end of Lake Simo» A river valley for a distance of five miles and varying dn width {rom two to three miles, comprises the drained land. Commenced in 1915 by the municl- pality of Gwilllmbury West on petl- tion of land owners in the district, the project was only completed in 1830. Some 200 acres has already been developed, however. The land has been dovoted to market garden- ing. W. H. Day, former professor at the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, who owns 87 acres, reports he secured a yleld of approximately $700 an acre In the first year of cul- tivation. Lettuce and celery proved especially profitable. Part of the de- veloped area is being worked by a group of Dutch farmers "and resi- dents of the nearby village of Brad- ford own small plots. Drainage methods employed stamp the scheme es unique in Ontario. A canal, varying in width from 40 to 70 feet, was dredged out around the edge of the valley, the excavated earth forming a dyke to prevent the water from seeping Into the area The river d smaller streams flowing into the marsh were diverted into the canal To prevent Lake Simcoe from batk- ing up and flooding the reclaimed area at high water, a dam was bullt where' the canals met a few miles 'above the lake. To complete drain- "age two pumps, each with a capa- city of 20,000 gallons a minute, were installed at the dam, taking care of precipitation in the reclaimed sec- 'tion. . 'Similar schemes In other parts of "she province, acco! to Prof. Day, 'who has been intérasted in the scheme since its inception, have all "Buy British" Plan Gains The strongest propaganda cfort ever devoted to a peacetime project is apparent in the "Buy British" campaign now sweeping England and her dominions, Roger Bracken, ex- port manager for the Millers Falls Company and former president of the Export Managers' Club of New York, Inc., sald here. Mr. Bracken has been absent on a business trip through England and the Continent during the last six months. "The combination of depreciated exchange, high tariffs and Intense propaganda against foreign goods makes the English market a major problem for American exporters" he sald, "In some lines of merchan- dise, such as electrical tools and equipment, tariffs and exchange dif- ferences, combine to put a 100 per cent premium on Amercan products. When this handicap is coupled with the growing prejudice against for- eign products, the difficulty of re- taining a foothold in what was once a major market for our goods can be imagined." Unseasonable Thaw Puts Moscow Back on Wheels Moscow.--Droshky drivers, who have had their sleighs on the streets of Moscow since December 1, had to substitute wheels for runners because of an unseasonable warm spell. With the mercury several degrees above freezing, the snow, which had | covered the streets since mid-Novem- | ber, melted rapidly, making the going slushy for pedestrians, who found i furs and other heavy clothing uncom- fortable. : When the picturesque Izvostchik, or droshky cabbie, brings out his sled | hitched to a horse, and puts away his | wheeled conveyance, it is always a { sign that the long Russian winter has come to stay and this is the first time in several years he has been fooled. ed sini Radio Control in N.Z. Auckland, N.Z.--The new plan for transferring control of the main broadcasting services in New Zea land from private hands to the State | took final shape in the past session. | The Government's Broadeasting BiM, | as passed, provides that the system shall be managed by a board of three | members, assisted by an advisory council of eight members, five from the North and three from the South Island, to be appointed by the Post- maser-General. been 'acco! hout build These eight members will be drainage plishes o i --_-- h from i of organiza "age 1s usually handled by pumps,| tions representing lsteners. he explained. mele " The marsh is historic ground. The Silent "Talkies" Used giver which flows through It to H Deaf 1 the coldest weather in years lately.| wheat, it should be one of the first Reno has had temperatures just above tasks of our new Government to carry the zero mark for the last few weeks, | through with Canada some -plan of while other cities have reported record mutual exchange concerning the ex- breaking cold. In one night the mer-' change of manufactured goods for cury plunged from zero to 18 degrees wheat, preferably on a quota basis. below, then to 23 degrees below the There does not seem to be any valid following day at Elko. ireason why the example of Czechoslo- Ely has experienced temperatures, vakia should not be followed here, Le., of 8 to 10 degrees below zero, while by prohibiting the import of other Carson City, the state capital, saw |whaats until the home production and the thermometer register 10 degrees the Canadian import have been absorb- below zero recently for the first time ed. The soomer some sort of plan of in five years. this kind is inaugurated the greater TRA {will its effect be upon the foreign rl White-Meat Chicks Raised | policy of Russia. 'Suffer him not to rest. " land masses. Delicate = sclentific observations were made some years ago at the Dominion Government observatories The Sovereign Poet He sits above the clang and dust of Tim 9, With the world's secret trembling on his lp. He asks not converse nor compaa- ionship In the oold starlight where thou canst not climb, The undelivered tidings in his breast He sees afar the immemorable throng, And binds the scattered ages with a hain --Willlam Watson, in "Collected Poems." lle Britain pnd the Dominions Windsor Border Cities Star (Ind.): The great governing genius of Britain has had no finer, no more striking, de- monstration than is to be found in the official attitude in London toward the political development of the Domin- ions. The British Commonwealth of Nations is held together not by force nor authority, but by ties of mutual un- derstanding, mutual respect and ad- By. Non-Scratching Rule ,, 000 vo, / 01d Relic Tonawanda, N.Y.--Something new 3 fn chickenraising is to be found on Found in Gravel Pit the farm of W. M. Woodward, who! Minneapolis, Minn--A gravel pit in raises broilers almost free from dark southern Minnesota has given up a meat. A long shed houses between bleached skull of a giant musk ox, 3,000 and 4,000 ohickens of varying which lends support to the theory that ages. The pens arg bulll ome on the arctic tundra once lay over this re- top of another to the roof. Each pen gion. . has a false floor of chicken wire two| Mr. W. E. Neuman of Preston, Minn., inches above the actual floor. Ths, dlacovered the skull, almost complete, ohicken's feet never touch ground !in en outwash of an anclent glacier, until 4t is at least three months old. ! He believed it to be a queer rock for The building 1s heated by stoves, mation and forwarded it to the uml- Because the chickens cannot versity, where it was identified. The scratch and buttermilk constitutes | skull was estimated to be 20,000 years 20 per cent of their feed, there is old. almost no muscular development, ee et The meat is dlmost entirely white "Mechanical equipment should create and tender, even on the legs and | opportunity for leisure not unemploy- joints. ment.""--Willlam Green. A '32 Beach Note Ee i to "Hear" With Eyes Silent "talkies" are being made for the deat and hard of hearing to teach them to "hear" with their eyes, says "Popular Mechanics Maga-! wine." Lip motions and other facial movements, together with body ges-, tures, are emphasized in the silent a is - in order that lip reading . and interpretation of other motions : > iid be easier. ; Ohio State Univers! t fs exporl- g With this form of motion and, of course, the earlier factors of race and language. nea etme: Women of India Calcutta.--The * All-India Women's Conference on Educational and Soc- ial Questions opened at Madras on Dec. 28. Mm, P. XK. Ray of Cal cutta, president of the organization, urged the remodeling of Indian homes in order to "produce a real type of womanhood that will be a glory to our country in the future. It was stated that he provincial legls- latures opposed the reserving of svecial ecats for women when the legislatures are remodeled. am ---------- Brazil's Area Calculated Anew Rio de Janeiro, Brazil--The total area of Brazil Is now calculated at 8,494,209 square kilometers. It 1s larger than the whole European oon- tinent, excluding a part of Russia, and it 1s the fifth country in the world as far as size is concerned. Brazil is 250, 000 square miles larger than the United States, not including Alaska and other possessions, mr ene-- Animal Facts All spiders are shortsighted. Owls have two pairs of eyelids. A blackbird bathes at least a dozen times a day. ' ' The goldfish 1s merely a domesti- cated variety of the Chinese carp. Geese are used as around homes in the West Indies. Rhinoceros herds use ' the same paths, If your camp is pitched on one you'll find out.' : The male cardinal is the most affec- tionate of birds. [always been preparing for peace." each adopting a nomadic life of its own. : A Famous Rendezvous One of Berlin's historic waymarks has become a memory, according to a correspondent of the Christian Science Monitor." Cate Bauer. the corner house of Unter den Linden and Friedrichstrasse, was for many years the place of meeting for dis- tinguished Berliners and thelr friends, and no foreign visitor to the German capital would have omit ted Cafe Bauer from his program of sightseeing. It was built some sixty years ago by a Vienna cook, Bauer. He determined to introduce the "Vienna Cafe"--a type then little known--to Berlin, and he did so with unqualified success. He had the temerity to appeal to a famous painter, Anton von Werner, tg de- oorate the walls with his brush and his request was compiled with. All the world flocked to Cafe Bauer to see the beautiful frescoes, to meet friends and enjoy the Vienna confec- tionery. One of the most regular visitors was Adolf von Menzel, popu- larly known as the Little Excellency; others were Adalbert Matkowsky, the former Kaiser's favorite actor, Paul Lindau, Hermann Sudermann, Ernst von Wildenbruch and other literary notabilities, as well as many leading diplomatists, Atter its more bril lant period, Cafe Bauer changed bands during the war, but managed to exist until recently. Anton von Werner's mural paintings have long been transferred to Hotel Bristol and have been excellently restored. a en Pink Lemons Now Grown New York.--Pink lemons have been found growing on a tree in California. However, the tree is a rare specimen and the United States Department. of Agriculture warns that there is little chance of the pink lemonade industry switching to the new lemons for raw material. Pink lemons were first exhibited at the National Orange Show this year. They came from a tree in Burbank, and so far as known the tree is a bud sport (or freak) of the variegated Eureka lemon, which was developed from a limb variation of the Eureka lemon, discovered In 1911, The varle- gated Eureka lemon trees are not as productive as the normal Eureka lem- on trees and they are grown chiefly for ornamental purposes. Defence Costs ; Ottawa Journal (Cons:): In 1913 the United States had .a fleet of 963,000 tons, Great Britain a fleet of 2,222,000 tons. To-day the United States has a fleet of 1,173,000 tons and spends $382, 000,000 a year on it, whereas Great Britain has a fleet of 1,378,000 tons, costing $271,000,000 a year. In other words, the United States is spending President in a Memorial Day address, 'we have to the crusaders stretched way don't know that any girl n per modern house, has better company than was mine up in Barbara's lodge. One day I climbed up with a new book, the first cheap book, by the way, that I ever saw, It was in two vol umes; the cover was of yellow paper - | and' the name was "Moral Tales." The tales, fot the most part, were thin and into the cherry-tree. unsigned stories which I read over #0 often that I almost knew every line ot them by heart now, One was a story told by a town-pump, and another the account of the rambles of a little girl like myself; and still another, a des cription of & Sunday morning in a quiet town like our sleepy village. There was no talk of enchantment ia them. But In these papers the com- monplace folk and things which I saw every day took on a sudden mystery found that they, too, belonged to the magic world of knights and pligrims and friends, The publisher of "Moral Tales," who ever he was, had probably stolen these anonymous papers from the annuals in which they had appeared. Nobody called him to account. Their author wag then, as he tells us somewhere, the '"obscurest man of letters im America." 2 Years afterward, when he was one of the greatest of living romancers I opened his "Twice-Told Tales" and found there my old friends with a shock of delight as keen as it I had met one of my own kinsfolk in the streets of a foreign city. In the first heat of my discovery I wrote to Mr. Hawthorne and told him about Bar bara's house and of what he had done for the child who used to hide there. The little story, coming from the back- woods, touched 'his fancy, I suppose, for I presently received a note from him saying that he was then at Wash- ington, was coming on to Harper's Ferry, and still farther to see the cherry trees and--me, ME Well, I supose Esther felt a little in that way when the king's sceptre touched her.--From "Bits of Gossip," by Rebecca Harding Davis. ------ es London Landmark Passing: London. -- Shepherd Market, that famous little backwater in the heart of Mayfair, is in danger of destruo- tion. It lies a few yards from Pio- Moon and Curzon Streets. The part bounded by Shepherd and Hert ford Streets has already been clear ed of its old shops and houses, and when in the course of the next few years, the other leases expire, the passing of the market will mean the passing of Mayfair. Because it was where Shepherd Market now is that the May Fair of the sixteenth cen- tury was held. ne Germany Students . Aided by Special Fund Berlin--Helping students has be- come an important factor this win ter. A novelty is the organizing of very cheap suppers in. addition to the regular / "Mensa," mess. In addition to free meals, the indigent are given the oppor tunity of free living in an endowment home, 'and of receiving long-term loans. The "Students Fund of the German People" (Studlenstiftung des deutschen Volkes) continues to be very active in supplying means for , in a pro- cheap as the paper; they commanded Ino enchanted company, bad or good, and charm, and, for the first time, I - cadilly, in the angle formed by Half or students' But among them were two or three the study of promising students. Tn