Odds and Ends

NearPloumanach, in Brittany, there is one of the most curious shrines in Europe. This is the chapel of St. Guirec, a tiny, picturesque building of the twelfth century. It stands on a rock in the bay, and at high tide is surrounded by the waves. Inside is a wooden statue of St. Guirec in a deplorable state, for it is simply riddled with tiny holes. The reason for this sad state of things is that the fishermen's daughters have a strong superstition that if they come to pray at the shrine and stick a pin into poor St. Guirec they are certain to get married within the year. If the hapless saint gives himself a shake during the night and the pin drops out, it is an infallible sign that everything will go well.

THE CURIOUS CHAPEL OF ST. GUIREC, IN BRITTANY—IT CONTAINS A WOODEN STATUE OF THE SAINT, INTO WHICH THE FISHER-GIRLS STICK PINS, BELIEVING THAT THIS WILL ENSURE THEM A HUSBAND DURING THE YEAR!From a Photograph.

THE CURIOUS CHAPEL OF ST. GUIREC, IN BRITTANY—IT CONTAINS A WOODEN STATUE OF THE SAINT, INTO WHICH THE FISHER-GIRLS STICK PINS, BELIEVING THAT THIS WILL ENSURE THEM A HUSBAND DURING THE YEAR!

From a Photograph.

The extraordinary photograph on the next page shows what may well be called a "human Catharine-wheel." This is to be seen at the annual feast of the Totonaco Indians at Papantla, in the State of Vera Cruz, Mexico. Wearing huge, highly-coloured erections—made from the bark of a tree—on their heads, four men take their positions on the arms of the mill and proceed to make it rotate, gradually working up to a speed of forty or fifty revolutions a minute, while the crowd cheer excitedly. This ranks as "fun," but must be decidedly warm work for the performers, who, to guard against the results of giddiness, are strapped by the legs. The two Indians seen in the foreground are wearing grotesque masks.

A HUMAN CATHARINE-WHEEL—THIS EXTRAORDINARY DEVICE IS TO BE SEEN AT THE ANNUAL FEAST OF THE TOTONACO INDIANS, OF MEXICO. FOUR MEN, GAILY BEDECKED, TAKE THEIR PLACES ON THE ARMS OF THE MILL AND PROCEED TO MAKE IT ROTATE, WORKING UP TO A SPEED OF FORTY OR FIFTY REVOLUTIONS A MINUTE.From a Photograph.

From a Photograph.

A SNAPSHOT WITH A CURIOUS HISTORY.From a Photograph.

A SNAPSHOT WITH A CURIOUS HISTORY.

From a Photograph.

From Sialkot, India, a member of the 12th Lancers sends us the quaint little photograph here shown. He writes: "My dog had been burrowing in loose sand, and, as he turned to come out, the sides of the excavation fell in and imprisoned him. Had I not been there he would undoubtedly have died; so, after freeing his head, I made a sort of tombstone round him and photographed him as a memento."

THE ONLY BRASS BAND IN THE WORLD WHOSE MEMBERS ARE DEAF AND DUMB.From a Photograph.

THE ONLY BRASS BAND IN THE WORLD WHOSE MEMBERS ARE DEAF AND DUMB.

From a Photograph.

The only brass band in the world whose members are deaf and dumb is depicted in the photograph reproduced below. This remarkable band belongs to the New York Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. To teach a person who is afflicted in this way to play an instrument and get him to understand something of musical notation would appear at first an impossible task, and it was only accomplished after many months of patience. First of all the players were taught how to blow the fife, the simplest of all wind instruments. The next step was more intricate. By the use of certain fingers the players were made to produce given notes, and in this way various tones were taught and committed to memory. Being of necessity taught with the utmost exactness, the pupils developed a confidence of execution not found in the average musical student. Certain rules were laid down, which the deaf-mute had to followexplicitly, and the result was absolute correctness in playing.

THE PENALTY OF GLUTTONY—THE PYTHON HERE SHOWN TRIED TO SWALLOW A GOAT BODILY, BUT "BILLY" STUCK IN HIS THROAT AND KILLED HIM.Copyright Photograph by St. Michael Padmore.

THE PENALTY OF GLUTTONY—THE PYTHON HERE SHOWN TRIED TO SWALLOW A GOAT BODILY, BUT "BILLY" STUCK IN HIS THROAT AND KILLED HIM.

It is difficult for those who have not had ocular demonstration to credit the extraordinary capacity of snakes for absorbing large animals. The striking photograph we next reproduce was taken in the Zoo at Perth, Western Australia, and shows a python which endeavoured to dine not wisely but too well. He killed a goat, and commenced to swallow it bodily, as is the pleasing habit of these great snakes. Poor "Billy," however, had his revenge, for he stuck in the reptile's throat, capacious though it was, and all the python's efforts to dislodge him failed. The result, of course, was distinctly unfortunate for the snake. When the curator went his rounds the following day he discovered the monster quite dead, with the goat's hind legs sticking out of his mouth, as shown in the snapshot.

THE MAP-CONTENTS OF "THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE," WHICH SHOWS AT A GLANCE THE LOCALITY OF EACH ARTICLE AND NARRATIVE OF ADVENTURE IN THIS NUMBER.

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTESAdded table of contents.Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical errors.Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.

Added table of contents.

Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical errors.

Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.

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