NATURE'S WONDERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19892, 10 March 1928, Page 4 (Supplement)

NATURE'S WONDERS.

ON THE BEACH. Dear Miss Morton,—During the holidays I spent the greater part of my time on the beach, and as we had tuch perfect weather it was cooler and more pleasant near the water. I often hud a swim morninjj and evening. It was glorious at night, so calm and cool, and the rushes of the tide would carry you along so swiftly. Sometimes my companions and 1 would wander along the beach for asiloS, picking up seaweed and shells until we were quite tired, then we would sit down in a shady spot and compare our treasures. The dozens of different shaped shells are wonderful, and what clever little fish they must bo to make such intricate and beautiful houses for themselves. Some big shells have curious markings, the lovely green sea-eggs which, when looked into, are a wonderful construction, the pretty fan shells, shells of all .sizes and hues and acme frail, minute eh ells. all different shupes, which are so dainty and pretty, and my favourite, the dear little blue storm shell. The seaweed when \vet is really beautiful, just like fine ferns and branches of trees, and such "beautiful colours. We kept some of the prettiest pieces to press between blotting paper. As we wandered home again we eaw lots of little blue jelly fish stranded by the last tide and the quaint star fish and hundreds of little crabs running along sideways, as though they were in a dreadful hurry. In all the little pools wo saw all sorts of strange life. It is really wonderful how many different living things there are in even one small pool, let alone the huge sea. ,We Tqached home, just before the sun set like % big red ball, tired, sunburnt; sandy and hungry, bnt happy. As soon as tea was over and our treasures put away we were react? for bed. I dropped off to sleep thinking how truly wonderful nature is. and with the droning of the sea still in my ears.— 3tck Gordon (age 12). THE EARWIG'S NEST. Dear Miss Morton,—Have you ever seen an earwig's eggs? When Alec and I were turning ever a rock in the garden on Saturday we found two i mormons earwigs and n great number of eggs. One earwig ran away and hid in the earth, but the other one stayed and carried the eggs to safety. We thought, she would pick them up in per pincers, but she didn't. She just picked them up in her mouth and took them av. ay to a new hole. We put a few of the eggs in a glass jar with some earth, and are •watching to see if they will hatch. They are nearly as big as grains of uncooked barley, and so clear that we can see the shape of the baby earwigs inside. _ Ltwt year we found a mother centipede with ever so many babv one 3 clinging to her. I liko watching live"things, don't you?— From Jack WaTren, 27, Pentland Avenue, Mt. Eden. "THE BIRD ISLAND." We went to Palm Beach for. a holiday, !ind one day we thought we would like to go for a row ,to an island. When wo got there, we found it- was smothered frith birds, and you could hardly put your foot down in th® rooks for fear o£ trending on eggs and baby birds. Every row and again, the gulla would swoop down, and nearly peck you. Some of the little babies went into the WTong holes when they Eai7 us coming, then when we went away, the big gulls would push the baby birds back into their own hollows of the rock. {Then the huge crabs! The biggest waa

green, an ordinary-sized red one. and a few other different colours. Some of the baby birds were nearly the size of the mother gulls, and some were just breaking the Bhells, and getting ready to come out. One little one was just poking his beak through, and making a hole in the egg. Then we went to gather mussels, then we rowed home, and left the "bird-nursery" island undisturbed.—Peier Hardcastle, Epsom Av. .(aged 61). "TEA-TREE JACK." One very hot di;y in my Christmas holidays I was wandering carelessly through a rather dense _ clump cf tea-tree, when I felt something tickling my neck. Not bothering much about this strange tickling I said to my companion, "Joyce, I have such a funny tickling round my neck." Joyce replied, "I suppote it is only a few tea-tree seedß." Soon we came out of this tea-tree, and not contented that they were Beads, 1 said: "Joyce, do have another look, it seems as if it is something that crawls." "Yes. yes," she cried. "Quick, give me your handkerchief." Holding my handkerchief in her hand she picked a long thing off my neck, about 3in. long. It had thin legs, but they were long. We carz-ied it home and ehowed it to uncle, who said, with a smile, "Why, it is a tea-tree jack." Uncle said ho did not know whether they bit or rot. but still Joyce and I declare we will rot go j wandering in \tho tea-tree any more.—Gwen Bradbury, 35, Keimora Avenue, Mt. Albert. THE CABBAGE TREE. It may be interesting for yon to fcnow that, growing a short distance away from our house, is a huge cabhuge tree, and from the trunk projects, in various directions, sixteen fairy-like heads, which are tossed about in the wind. In early summer they are covered with white flowers. The flowers are very small and not as pretty as you may think, but, oh! it is their smell that wins your heart. They are moat beautiful flowers for their scent, and they ftre to be smelt quite a distance away from the tree. I hope everyone who has not seen them will some day have the opportunity of doing so.—From Cclieen Thornton, c/o li. Thornton. P. 8., Mansarata.