8. What ancient city perished through silence?
Amyclæ, an ancient town of Laconia, situated on the eastern bank of the Eurotas, was a famous city in the heroic age. It was the abode of Tyndarus and his spouse Leda, of Castor and Pollux, who are hence called the “Amyclæan Brothers.” It was only shortly before the first Messenian War (743–724 B. C.) that the town was conquered by the Spartan King Teleclus. The inhabitants had been so often alarmed by false reports of the approach of the Spartans that, growing tired of living in a state of continual alarm, they decreed that no one should henceforth mention or even take notice of these disagreeable fictions; and, accordingly, when the Spartans at last came, no one dared to announce their approach. Hence arose the Greek saying, “Amyclæ perished through silence,” and also the Latin proverb, “Amyclis ipsis taciturnior” (More silent than even Amyclæ).
9. What dramatic poet has been called the “Shakespeare of India”?
Kalidasa was the greatest dramatic poet of India. His drama, “Sakuntala,” translated by Sir William Jones, 1789, produced a great sensation in Europe. He is noted for the variety of his creations, his ingenious conceptions, beauty of narrative, delicacy of sentiment, and fertility of imagination; hence the sobriquet.
10. What trivial incident in 1666 led to one of the grandest discoveries ever made?
It was during this year that the celebrated philosopher, Sir Isaac Newton, while sitting beneath an apple-tree in his mother’s orchard at Woolsthorpe, England, conceived the idea of gravitation from seeing an apple fall from the tree. This tree remained standing until the year 1814, when it was blown down. The wood of it was preserved and made into various articles. Several trees still exist which were raised from the seeds of its fruit.
11. Which is the only bird that can use both eyes at once in looking at an object?
This bird is the owl. Its eyes are very large, directed forward, more or less surrounded by a disk of radiating bristly feathers, and in most of the species formed for seeing in the twilight or at night, presenting a vacant stare when exposed to daylight. The Greeks and Romans made it the emblem of wisdom, and sacred to Minerva, and, indeed, its large head and solemn eyes give it an air of wisdom which its brain does not sanction.
12. What bird has neither tail nor wings?
The Apteryx (Greek α, privative, πτέρυξ, wing) is a bird allied to the ostrich and emu. It is found in New Zealand, particularly in regions covered with extensive and thick beds of fern, in which it hides when alarmed. It is called kiwi-kiwi by the natives. It has a very long and slender bill, of which it makes a remarkable use in supporting itself when it rests. The natives pursue it for its skin, which is very tough and flexible, and much prized by the chiefs for the manufacture of their state mantles. Happy is the Maori who possesses a cloak of kiwi-kiwi feathers.