Man, WASPs really know how to summer. 

wnyc:

nwkarchivist:

Ice Cubes Made from Tonic Water…

Folks were serious about their g & t’s back in ‘73!

Early running for best tip of the summer.

-Jody, BL Show-

We’ve got the scoop on Jack Black, rat-catcher to her Majesty Queen Victoria, who was one of the most famous characters in Victorian London.

Able to reach into a rat trap without being bitten, Black wore a “flamboyant costume of white leather pants, green coat and scarlet waistcoat with a rat belt-buckle (which he cast himself).”

Check out that sash!

While working on the bio for Millard Fillmore for the next issue, we noticed something…uncanny. 

What is a locust?
Its head, a grain of corn; its neck, the hinge
of a knife;
Its horns, a bit of thread; its chest is smooth
and burnished;
Its body is like a knife handle;
Its hock, a saw; its spittle, ink;
Its underwings, clothing for the dead.
On the ground—it is laying eggs;
In flight—it is like the clouds.
Approaching the ground, it is rain glittering in
the sun;
Lighting on a plant, it becomes a pair of
scissors;
Walking, it becomes a razor;
Desolation walks with it.

Malagasy poem, c. 1950

Déjà vu: Military Mammals 

2013: US Navy dolphin finds 19th century torpedo off the coast of Coronado; is rewarded with extra fish at snacktime.

1856: Secretary of War Jefferson Davis authorizes purchase of 75 camels for military use, puzzling soldiers, everyone else.

“Your correspondent, W.H. O’Shea, has found several dogs “coulour-blind”. If black is a colour, I can give several instances in which a black retriever dog of mine was certainly not “colour-blind.” He had the greatest antipathy to sweeps and coalheavers, and would fly at them if not fastened up or carefully watched. He would even bark at a passing hearse! In all other respects, he was the best-tempered dog in the world, and I can only imagine that when very young he must have been ill-used by either a sweep or a coalheaver.”

Dog Stories from the Spectator: Being Anecdotes Of The Intelligence, Reasoning Power, Affection And Sympathy Of Dogs, Selected From The Correspondence Columns Of The Spectator (1895)

The dog I refer to was a little white fox-terrier, Prin by name, who lived at the Lion Hotel. He began by displaying a fancy for playing with coins, not unusual amongst terriers, and he advanced to a discovery that he could exchange the coins for biscuits. He learned that for a halfpenny he could get two biscuits, and for a penny three; and, having become able to distinguish between the two coins, it was found impossible to cheat him. 

The Most Talented Dogs in England, today in Roundtable.

PS make like the dog owners in this piece—reblog and tell us about what your dogs can do! 

ANIMAL TESTING

Who knew frogs were at the center of 18th century neuroscience? Or that Louis Pasteur’s first vaccine saved the lives of countless sheep?

More animal trivia gems (we promise some of them are more PETA-friendly) in Animals, the Spring 2013 issue of Lapham’s Quarterly.

It might be graduation season, but Lapham’s Quarterly school is still in session! Behold, the Animals Syllabus: a comprehensive list of books, poems, and stories from our Spring 2013 issue (on newsstands now!)

Looking for extra credit? Like our Facebook page for a chance to win your very own copy of Animals!