Evening Star Newspaper, July 6, 1924, Page 11

iamese Fish Shoots Insects Off Vegetation for Its F ood Globule of Wates Aimed Accurately ; Every Time. 'THE SUNDAY STAR equipped with sleeping_ quarters, on which he could pursue his investiga- tions. 1In his launch and also by means of the railroads and coastwise steamers he has traveled extensively from the Shan states in the north to the extreme southern end of the coun- try, adjoining the Malay states. erywhere he went, he says, he met with “interesting experiences and de- lightful treatment. Officials Highly Trained. Siam, the official name of which, translated, mea and of the fres, i% a prosperous and progressive king- don explains Dr. Smith, and enjoys LR of government which, although an absolute monarchy, is a benevolent one. The rulers of the present dy- nasty have been noted for thelr in- tellectual attainments and for their zeal in promoting the welfare of their people. One of the keenest pleasures that have come in Siam to this former American official, and one of the com- pencations for a protracted absence from his beloved country, is the abil- ity to act without having to run the gantlet of committees and houses of Congress, and the possibility of securing for meritorious m ures im- mediate governmental approval and authority Those ‘intrusted with governmental responsibility are a highly intelligent body of men, educated mostly at either English or Amer n univer- sities. For many years the ment has made it a practice to obtain the services of foreign specialists and experts in various lines to supervise governmental activities. Co-operat- ing with these heads are many former students trained in Europe and Amer- A, S0 that there ix being developed a trained body of Siamese, both men and women, fully capable of assuming the work 'when (the time shall Le ripe for them to do so. Many Forelgn Advisera. There are at present foreign ad- visers on agriculture, comerce, judi- eial affairs. public health, finance, military and naval affairs and now on govern- taken in immense quantities. In fresh water there are. many fish with e: cellent food and also game qualities, and angling for sport is a favorite pastime with residents and foreign visitors. The native idea of plsca- torial sport runs more toward com- bats between fighting fish. There are several different kinds of these. They are ardently cultivated and pitted against one another like game cocks. There are over fifty species of cat- fish which have been determined by Dr. Smith, who has discovered a num- ber of sp s of all sorts which hitherto had been unnamed. In fact, prior to his coming there had never been any comprehensive, ecientific attempt to investigate Siam’s fishes and other water resources. The field is 8o large that the first year's oper- ations indicated plainly "that there was work for several years to come, Fish Fine Marksman. Of the queer fish mentioned at the beginning of this article there are no prototypes in America, and thix ix irue of many other Siamese fish. Ut them the insect-shooting fish is one of the most unusual. It has been noted in scientific works. but a dis- tinguished Briton, authority on the fishes of India, had declared that its reputed feats of marksmanship were not true and could not be possible Scores of Americans in Stam know the contrary. A friends of Dr. Smith lving on the banks of the great river that flows by Bangkok suspends spiders on the ends of fine threads some feet above the water. The fish, with tip of mouth just out of water and taking aim with a great pair of gogule-eyes surrounded with an amber-colored rim which resembles horn spectacles, projects a ~ single drop of water along its grooved tongue with such force that were the spider not tied it would be knocked into the water, and with such accuracy that it never misses s mark The fish it not & wing- hot. however. The mark must be 80 is Other Kind Trainid To Be “Pugilists,” Says Dr. Smith. Fish that can live out of aater for six months; fish that can migrate heries, with fore sistants rps are em are Smith is one and yre, son-in-law viser on foreign aff: The two greatest country are the the in other branc British, w v other Dr. Francis Bowe s of the dent Wilson, is another, cultiv and the catching of fish. stationary, but powertul force that even small lizards are sometimes disiodged Can Make Them “Fire.” Dr. Smith can take the fish in his hand and make it “fire” at will, an he seems to have: been ihe frst per- son to determine the mechanics of the operation. A full-grown example. eight to ten inches long. has an ef. fective range of from tweive to fi teen feet. This curious inhabitant of chnical as- Most of prink- ign t late Pre. , he being ad- tion of rice Siam is in mense earthenware jars, and the su perior strains of the little pugilists are as carefully preserved and per- petuated as if they were prize cattle or_poultry. Bangkok is a big and rather mod- ern city, according to the returned Washingtoniar®, but has, withal, an oriental glamor “in spite of its asphalted streets, trolley cars and thousands of motor cars. Members of its foreign colony declare that of all eastern capitals 1t has the best climate and is the most satisfactory place to live. And when the Kking, riding in his immense state barge, seated in the middle of a double row of 100 or more paddlers, clad in medieval costumes and wielding curi- ous short-handled paddles overlaid with gold leaf, floats at sunset down the Menam River to pay a royal visit to some specially sacred temple, the members of that colony and -what- ever visitors may happen to be there are glad they came. America In Appreciated The American population numbers less than 100. This number includes the missionaries, who have estab- lished successtul | hospitals and schools which are largely resoted to and highly regarded by the native population. In fact, the Slamese know and appreciate’ America thor- oughly, Dr. Smith declares, in spite of the fact that few merchant vessels flying the Stars and Stripes are ever seen in her harbors. The Siamese flag, by the way, with the single ex tion of the naval ensign, no longer bears the white elephant, so tamiilar to schoolboys of other years, but is a five-striped banner in red, white and blue. l’b ‘The white elephant, it would ap- pear. was no more sacred than any white animal; all albino types (for that Is what this grayish pachyderm Convenient Credit Terms to Meet Your Budget WASHINGTON, D. O, JULY 6, 1924—PART I ~ really 1s) are held venerable in Siam and Indian and the elephant, being the largest and most expensive, was usually the perquisite of royalty. e LONDON DANCING GIRLS AGAIN TOURING EUROPE DANZIG, July 5.—; girls, who disappcared like magic from the ges of continental Europe in August, 1914, have begun to return to their former fields of activity, and have even invaded Russia where they were always popular prior to the war. It has been nearly ten years since the London dancers have been seen to any extent in the cities of central Europe, although at intervals during the war there were a few troupes appearing in Paris, Madrid, Rome and some other pla: Throughout Europe before the war, wherever there were variety theaters or music halls, there were English dancing girls, known for their sprightly dancing often com- bined with singing stunts. Even in old St. Petersburg and Moscow, the home of the Russian ballet, the danc- ing girls from London were always well received. This spring, a troupe toured th Scandinavian cities and the Baltic states and from Danzig went on to Leningrad, where there had been no English performers since the soviets came into power. Later the dancers will visit Warsaw, Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna and ' numerous other cities. Several other troupes from London also took the road thi spring, and have been appearing in Rotterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin and other northern cities. Snglish dancing ASLEEP WHEN HE SWORE. William S. Smith, colored, charged with disorderly conduct, invented a new alibi in his defense today when he told Judge John P. McMahon in the District of Columbia Branch of Police Court that he was asleep at the ti of the alleged offense of using loud, gb scene and profane language and thaf “he must have been talking in his sleep.” { The court could not believe thi story, held Smith guilty, and fined hi $25." Bmith protested his innocence log; and long. - = APARTMENTS FOR RENT In the Suburbs All outside rooms overlooking wooded park 3945 Connecticut Avenue Corner of Tilden St. Apartments of 2, 3 and 4 rooms with bath 70 apartments—only a few left Representative On Premises Thomas J. Fisher & Co., Inc. 738 15th St. g The Wright Co. Main 6830 e o] 905 7th St. July Clearance Sale! forefront of rice tries. Its yvield last season was ap- proximately 2,000,000 tons, and it ex. ports quantities. A remark- xample of how a vegetable can adapt itself to unfavorable conditions is found in a variety of rice which grows in a district north of Bangkok, ®ubjected annually to sudden and heavy floods. Rice, to thrive, must keep the tip of its stalk, with the m. above water, and this par- Fice must sometimes grow ten elve inches daily to offset the sing flood As the result of long training it does ever, and jts stalks sometin a height of | six to seven m Begin Conservation Work. Siam abounds in fish, Smith, and tens of thous ged in the fisheries indus TOWINE Coun- | pioy \water rivers has been called the shooting fish and the archer fish. Neither name is quite accurate—in fact, no name is, unless it were “hydraulic-machine gun fish. Its shooting process seems to be no ef- fort to iteelf, while its stock of am- munition is inexhaustible. Washingtonians will be interested learn that Siamese rivers posses a splendid variety of shad, rather similar to the Potomac shad. Like our shad, it has been showing a diminished abundance recently and Dr. Smith plans to install a hatchery this ming winter which should prove valuable in rehabilitating the rivers with this delicious food fish The water hyacinth, which in the southern part of the United States is re en-|cuch an impediment: to navigation, This | |5 abundant in many of the rivers and » has | canals of Siam, where it is talled the overland, moving briskly along- sven over a surface as smooth asa cacrete walk; fish of diminutive size that are extensively cultivated and used ex- clusively for fighting or wrestling contests, and, strangest of all, fish that, by means of an unerring pro- pelled globule of water, can bring down their insect prey while the lat- ter hangs on vegetation a consider- able distance above the surface of the river. all inhabit the waters of Siam and are now familiar to Dr. Hugh M Smith of this city, who has recently returned here after a year spent in that kingdom Dr. Smith, who served thirty-five Years in the United States bureau of fisheries, and who ‘¥as commissioner from 1913 to 1922, a little more than a year ago accepted an offer to fill an’ especially created position, that of adviser on fisheries to the Siamese Rovernment. In this capacity he was to investigate from both a scientific and an econom’c standpoint the fish- eries resources of the country, where- in it is estimated that every man, woman and child of the nine or tem mil n inhabitants, eats some kind of aguatic food on an average of once a day. At the termination of the year's engagement the arrangement, if sa IN ALL THE Prices on Good Furniture Have Been Cut Regardless of Former Prices for This Sale Upper left—Siam has more than hal a hundred speciex of catfish. This xiant inhabits fresh water. Upper right—A specimen of oriental aalt water drumfish, which xometimes reaches a length of seven nnd a half feet, Lower—Siamese rivers contain a variety of shad which ix quite ximi-| lar to that enjoyed in Waxiumston and which comparex favoraby with 1t in uize. Thin photograph was «ma ped on the Menam River, along the ‘water front of Bangkok. Complete Suites for the Living Room, Bedroom and the Dining Room Super Values for Monday! isfactory, could be extended. This says Dr. has been done and Dr. Smith plans to return this month to pursue the work, this time taking the members of his | i% in spite of the fact that the ¥ immediate family with him been active and incessant fishing for | “java weed. It blocks the water “The work proved so congenial”|centuries with no protection. Lately, |courses and seriously affects fish life, he remarked, “the people so helpful | however, signs of diminution of sup-|and o far no feasible means of com- and apprectative, and the climate— [ ply have been apparent, but it is be- | BTG it has been found. this may sound ‘fishy’ to Washing- | lieved that with proper regulative 5 “ ntn. tonians, but is nevertheless true—so|and protective measures the supply Trainx Fluh “Pugilist m agreeable, that I gladly accepted the | may be brought back to normal. It is| A former Siamese minister to the invitation of the government for alintwesting to know that a thousand United States, Phya Akaraja, who further term of service.” years before Columbus sailed for the | was stationed at Washington for Dr. Smith was assigned a commo- | western world, was exporting | eight years and made many friends dious house, with a large yard and | certain fish products. such as fortoise | while here, has now retired, Dr. fishpond atfached, In Bangkok, the|shell and other non-perishable sub-|Smith relates, and in_his Bangkok capital; was given a corps of native | stances. to Europe. home has gone in_extensively for assistants and provided with a com-|{ The most valuable of the salt water | the breeding of the fine fighting fish. He keeps his pets in scores of im modiou: and mf able laun h a small ackerel, which is WORLD N O CAR LI KE THIS Lawn Bench $4.95 Steel frame or Length four feet. Finished in green. Simmons Double Couch Bed $11.98 A single motion converts it from a couch into a full size bed as pictured above. Complete With cretonne-covered mattress and valance tomorrow at this record-breaking low price. bent wood. Metal braced. Living Room Suites Sold as High as $198.00 2 suites—overstuf- 1 suite—3-piece 2 suites —uphol- fed type in two-tone Krochler overstuffed stered in velour. velour — regular dcsign, upholstered Mahogany finish =< e in tapestry. Bed - frames, cane backs. price, $198.00. Dav- davenport, armchair Secttee, armchair and enport,” armchair and rocker. Regu- rocker. Regular and wing chair. lar price, $185.00. price, $159. *100 Odd Beds A close-out of a special group of about 35 odd beds, including steel, wood and a few brass beds. Only one of a kind, every style, new and desirable. All finishes and all sizes included in the lot. Below are just a few typicai values. . Walnut or Oak Chifforobe $22.75 Never before in have we offered a chifforobe like this at so great a xaving. It finished in walnut or golden oak, has five spacious drawers and a compariment for 'hats and a full length compartment for suits, coats, etc. Greatly reduced! White enamel steel beds with ,two-inch continuous posts and heavy fill- A ers . AT Wood-finish steel beds, mahog- any or walnut fin- ish, full size, heavy o Choice of mahogany or walnut- fillers ...... finish wood beds. 4 $16.50 | our history Both bow-end and straight style at Bedroom Suites $ Sold as High as $325.00 1—$198.00 French walnut finish suite, in the Queen Anne style Four pieces. 1—$245 Four-piece mahogany veneer suite, in the Louis XVI period. walnut bed- design, four 2—$225 American room suit Tudor pieces. Very special. Genuine Kroehler Bed-Davenport $33.50 Choice of mahogany or golden oak frame, upholstery of imita- tion leather. A practical and handsome piece of furniture needed in every home. 1—$325 Four-piece bedroom suite, parchment finish, Sheraton design. A very special bargain. 2-$298 Four-piece ivory en- amel-finish bedroom suite, in the popular Tudor design. All-Layer Felt “Capitol” Mattress $8.75 A sensationally low price for a widely known, guaranteed mat- tress, all-layer felt. rolled edge— art ticking covered. 19 . ta » I b 295 M0 Here are f.0.b. factory touring car prices of 17 well known sixes. Height of line over each price shows that car’s piston displacement — power. Note Jewett’s extra power value. U get from an sutomobile mo- tor exactly what the manufac- turer puts into it. Big power from a small motor can only be secured by speeding up the motor. It is done by using smaller wheels or s special gear ratio. Soat the same speed onthe road, the smaller motor must turn over many more times than the big motor. But that is like setting 2 boy to doa man’s work. It means overstrain and early breskdown. Small Motor-ShmarA Life And if the smaller, underpowered motor is not speeded up it struggles slong, always overstrained, always delivering less performance. Again esrly breskdown is sure. It can no more deliver big motor performance than you caa lift yourself by your bootstrsps. 81295 $1295 81335 1335 $1395 SI465 81595 $1650 81690 81775 91790 196 m 5 o i ) q are Higher price should buy greater power. Yet eleven well-’known six- cylinder cars, costing more than Jew- ett, actually have smaller motors. See the chart. Just think! A Jewett with a larger motor sells for $230 to $725less. Compare Jewett’s Power and Price G Soymseewhnwememwbcnweqy Jewett's power gives extra value in longer life, better performance and freedom from repairs. For only alittle more than flimsy light sixes cost, you get the Jewett with its big, powerful motor. And for a lower price than 2 that of eleven other six-cylinder cars, you get in Jewett a motor that beats these same higher priced cars in long- lived power and performance. Come in and get acquainted with ample power combined with a slower motor speed —eliminating strain, assuring long life and free- dom from repairs. You Need Jewett’s Power You want Jewett’s power when you go slowly over rough roads in high gear—when you want to accelerate quickly—when the traffic signal turns—to climb hills inhigh. You want it to fill all the everyday needs in driving. And it is these same needs that quickly wear out the smaller motor —whether high or low speed. Power is the sound measure of value. Smaller motors cost less to build. Note the chart above. Five cars shown above sell for less in the beginning than Jewett. But in the end you will spend more because the * underpowered motor will wear itself Now—what advantage does Jew- out sooner. The big, amply-powered Jewett’s ample power. Let us show ett’s big motor give you? It gives Jewett stays gond! you results on the road. -4} WASHINGTON-VIRGINIA' MOTORS, Inc. 16th and You Streets Fairfax Barvics Statio Alesandzia, Vo, " Upholstered Reed Rocker $11.75 Made with cushion seat over spring bottom and upholstered « back—covered in cretonne, Putty or brown finish. Porcelain Top Kitchen Table $5.50 Top 25x40 inches. White en- amel-finish Table with cutlery drawer. Sanitary porcelain top. Dining Room Suites $ Sold as High as $375.00 1—Ten-piece two-tone walnut dining room suite, including 66- inch buffet. Regular price, $350.00. 1—Ten-piece American walnut dinins suite, in the Queen Anne period, 66-inch buffet. Regular price, $295. 195 2—Ten-piece Louis XVI dining room suites, in antique mahogany finish, 66-inch buffet. Regular price, $375. 1—Ten-piece dining room suite, in mahogany veneer—Queen Anne period, including 66-inch buffet. Regular price, $325. 1—Ten-piece dining room suite, in two-torc walnsz T:dor éic- sign, _includin; nch buffet. Regular price, &m | e WRIGHT FURNITURE Alvays Right in Quality and Price 905 Seyenth St. . Gibson HMake ramily Refrigerator $16.75 Top-lcer model, fifty Ibs. ice, capacity—two removable shelves.” White enamel lined food cham- bers.. Chair A comfortable and strongly madé chair for any room in-the porch. . Natural