THE YOUNG NORTHLANDER

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1935, Page 15

THE YOUNG NORTHLANDER

TARONGA PARK

(Sent in by Ngaire Subriizky, Waihopo, North Auckland. Age 11 years).

One of the most delightful places in the world is Taronga Park, Sydney’s I Zoo. What a wealth of humour, quaintness, magnificence and beauty one finds! Peacocks from Java, lions from Africa, snakes from India, Polar bears from the Arctic, elephants, jaguars, squirrels and bats from every place under the sun are to be seen here, each in its native element, i Deep down in an icy cave, thenwhite furry coats glistening with snow are the Polar bears. On the banks of a stream, they have landed two huge salmon that lie gasping and quivering for breath. How different are the little brown Australian bears that are seated on the lowest branches of a big maple tree! Their soft brown eyes and large ears make them an attractive display. Leaping and diving their dark coats glistening, are the seals and walruses. They seem to invite one to throw them some juicy titbits —a substantial piece of steak. Grey and lumbering are the elephants, sweeping their trunks and carrying upon their backs gay palaquins, crowded with laughing, excited, squealing children. Not to be outdone by the squeals of the children are the gorgeous peacocks, strutting with head erect and tail outstretched to show' to the best advantage their beauty. Roaring, lions with manes a-tremb-ling, terrifying tigers, and leaping leopards, all play their part in the life of the zoo.

Perhaps the best-loved -feature in the zoo is the monkey-pit. No one could pass it without throwing some nuts, or watching the monkeys at work and at play. Big black baboons, bolting bararas, little chimpanzees with almost human faces and the great gambolling gorillas are to be seen. Mirrors are their chief delight and they execute all manner of antics before them.

One could spend a whole week or more at the zoo, which is partly surrounded by water. It affords the greatest amusement for young and old, and, moreover, many of its inmates are cared for better than they had ever been before.

A GARDEN PARTY

(Sent in by Nadine Seux, Poroti Age 8).

I expect you know what a garden party is. People walk about and talk to one another and listen to music and eat ices and do many other, things. But that isn’t a real garden party. A real garden party is one held by the flowers and plants in the garden, when no one is about. The idea cange from the Hollyhock. “Friends,” said he, “I am very pleased to see you all looking so bright and happy. As it is a fine afternoon L vote we have some games.” “Hurrah!” shouted all the other flowers. “What shall we have first?”

“Suppose we start with some races?” said the Hollyhock.

First they had a running race. This was won easily by the Scarlet Runner. How every one laughted at the last one home—poor old Virginia Creeper. Next came a walking race. Can you

guess who won this? Why'the Rambler Rose, of course.

• “As this is a real party,” said Hollyhock, “we must have a guessing game.” So he got a tray and put about twenty small articles on it. All the flowers were allowed to look, then it was taken away, and they had to write out a list of all the things they could remember. Only one flower-got the list quite right—that was the Forget-Me-Not. Then they had a hunting game, and chased a big Dandelion all over the lawn. They were quite out of breath, when they caught him, and sat down for a rest, but Geranium sat on a Red Hot Poker, so he soon jumped up again. It was now getting very late. “I say,” mumbled Old Man in a sleepy voice, “it’s time for bed. Why look, even the Pear is getting sleepy.” —Copied. THUNDER AND LIGHTNING r All our lives we are surrounded by electricity in some form or another. The atmosphere is, SO' to speak, full of. it. Wireless has proved that electric storms (thunderstorms, as we call them when they are very violent) are happening somewhere throughout the 24 hours. Now, electricity always tends, to rush

from a point of high pressure to one! of low. If we put a wire across the terminal of. our wireless battery we get a spark with a crackling sound. (This is bad for the battery; we have short-circuited it). That is what happens in the clouds on a much larger scale. A dark, black thundercloud full of high pressure electricity comes near another at low pressure, and there is a short circuit. The electricity jumps across; we see a great flash, (lightning), and a few seconds after we hear the crackle of our wireless battery magnified millions of times into a violent noise (thunder). Sometimes the electricity jumps from a cloud to the earth, and then a tree or a chimney is struck by lightning.

IN JUNE

(Sent in by Ngaire Subritzky, Wai-* hopo, N. Auckland. Age 11). In June it seems a fairy land. When all the buds unfold; And butterflies have shining wings; Of blue and red and gold. There’s paeonies and ludines tall, Along the garden bowers; And bushes clipped like little birds Amid the wakening flowers. —Copied.