is a bit of all right,"
For the sea's in a turbulent mood.

There's nobody harks to the pierrots;
For music we don't care a straw;
And the "comic" in vain chants the usual strain
Concerning his mother-in-law.
Unbought are the beach's bananas;
Our souls are all far above food;
Not a man of us dreams of consuming ice-creams
When the sea's in a turbulent mood.

You may prate of the fervour of Phoebus
Of days that are calm and serene,
When a tint as of teak is imposed on the cheek
That is commonly pallid (when clean);
But _we_ have a taste that's aesthetic;
Mere sunshine seems vulgar and crude,
As we gather to gaze with artistic amaze
On the sea in a turbulent mood.

* * * * *

_The Beekeepers' Record_, referring to the photograph of a group of
prominent beekeepers, says:--"Mr. Dadant's well-known features are
easily spotted." We are sorry, but a little cold cream will sometimes do
wonders.

* * * * *

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

"FOR NUTS."--The origin of this curious phrase to indicate incompetence
in any pursuit or pastime--_e.g._, "He can't play for nuts," etc.--is
obscure; but its antiquity is incontestable. Thus one of the fragments
of ENNIUS runs: "_Nucibus non ludere possum_." Perhaps the most
plausible theory is that which views the phrase as a heritage from our
simian ancestors, among whom nuts were the common medium of exchange. On
this assumption a monkey--whether gorilla, chimpanzee, baboon or
orangutan--who was described as unable to do anything "for nuts,"
_i.e._, for pecuniary remuneration, was obviously inefficient. Another
explanation, which we believe is supported by Mr. EUSTACE MILES, scouts
the notion of an ancient origin of the phrase and fixes the _terminus a
quo_ by the recent introduction of vegetarian diet. Nuts being a prime
staple of the votaries of this cult, a person who cannot do anything
"for nuts" means, by implication, a carnivorous savage who is incapable
of progress. Lastly, there remains the ingenious solution that the
phrase as commonly employed involves a misspelling. It ought to be "four
nuts," and playing four nuts was an ancient but simple game, which may
be connected with the cognate phrase about knowing or not knowing "how
many beans make five."

* * * * *

POLLY PERKINS: WAS SHE A REAL PERSON?--A careful search in the r