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For the equivalent of two cents in American money, small boys may enjoy practically all the wonders of the zoo in Hamburg even if the pens and cages are partly obscured by taller adults, for an elevated sight-seeing bus takes them all about the grounds. It holds thirteen passengers.

 

Shooting silverplated darts into hundreds of whales, each dart being marked with the date and longitude and latitude, a party of British scientists have recently completed the first organized attempt to solve the life story of the big sea mammals. They spent two years in the antarctic seas, sailing in the famous old ship "Discovery," which was used by both Scott and Shackleton on their explorations of the southern ice continent. The expedition was directed by the government of the British colony in the Falkland islands, center of the whale-fishing industry of late years. The whalers have been asked to return the darts, with the date and place where the whale was killed, in order that the age and migration of the big fish may be checked. The scientists hope to solve the riddle of the whale's family life, the number of his wives, and the length of his life. Although many whalers have claimed that the whales mated but once, the evidence gathered indicates that the whales really are polygamous. Besides studying the whales, they collected marine life in the southern seas to a depth of three miles. The "Discovery" was specially built for exploration in the ice pack, with planking two feet thick backed by massive cross braces to resist tons of pressure, and fitted up for scientific research.

 

The jewels that Queen Isabella of Spain pawned to raise money for financing Columbus and his voyage to America are valued at approximately $500,000, although they are worth many times that from the viewpoint of their historical interest. The set consists of 280 stones weighing 500 carats, and the largest diamond weighs fifty-four carats.



