From The Hub

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 288, 5 December 1936, Page 16

From The Hub

DEAR COGS, When you come back from your long holidays, your preparations for which are already making my toes begin to tingle, we want to start a new corner in our page, for Nature Notes. Holiday time will give you lots of opoprtunities for research and you should have material for many weeks to come of your observations of our bird-life and beautiful bush Chatting with a friend who is deeply interested in natural history and who has recently been in Australia, I learnt many things things about the birds and beasts o f that country. And that brought it to my mind that the Cogs should be doing something more definite about these things. Do you know, for instance, that the male and female wagtails take it in turn to sit on the eggs? How much do you know about that funny creature the duck-billed platypus? Of course this duck-mole does not live in New Zealand, but I would like to see one, wouldn’t you? Can you picture an animal which has fur on its body, a bill like a duck, webbed feet, claws for burrowing, which lives on the lhnd, feeds in the water, lays eggs and carries its babies iu a pouch. This queer creature is terribly shy and it is only lately that much has been known about its habits. The pouch makes one remember the kangaroo, which also carries its young in this very comfortable way. Baby kangaroo is bald when is born, so perhaps he is glad to remain hidden until he grows some clothes. There is bird visitor to New Zealand just now that some of you may have seen —the shining cuckoo. This bird has a peculiar cry wuich strikes you immediately as something different. You should know this bird by its white breast across which show bands of golden green, its wings being bright green shot with purple and copper,and its throat and sides of its head are white. It has a black bill and brownish legs. The young ones are somewhat darker in colour. I was fortunate to sec this bird at Taupo lately, and next week I shall tell you about a-little white tern or fairy I saw on the shores of Lake Taupo also. We must have a Nature Note competition early next year, so lam giving you plenty of warning to be really observant on your holiday jaunts. Love from your friend, THE HUB. P.S. Just a little secret: Father Christmas has arrived in town.