FEATHERED “RECORD BEATERS.”

Taranaki Daily News, 11 February 1933, Page 7 (Supplement)

FEATHERED “RECORD BEATERS.”

Years ago, it. w.=s .’-only possible to guess' at the distances flown. by birds when they moved from cold countries to Winner, ones, but now men have proved that birds fly thousands of miles in less than a week. • - Men in one country mark, generally |>y a yiftg,-the leg of a bird, and others watch for this bird in some distant country—usually round a district frequented by Others of its kind. A feW years ago, » Lapwing was retorted to have flown across the Atlantic In something like 24 hours, having travelled, with a following wind, at a speed Of no less than a hundred miles an hour. Another marked bird was proved to have travelled from: England to South Africa in under a fortnight, and still another;'flew from Scotland to Inaia in record tjme. : . As for height, airmen have reported W they have waders flying high above the Alps and other mountain ranges. Not all birds travel high, however, for passengers on steamers have offen seen migratory birds flying a few feet only above the tops of the

waves, thereby taking advantage of the only bit of comparatively still air, whilst above them - blew strong adverse winds that would have kept them stationary, or even blown them back. A BRIGHT IDEA. It was a year since Kathleen had seen her father in Malay, for she had been taken back earlier to England, When he arrived home the .other day it came as a disappointing-shock to him that his four-year-old daughter was nor in the least interested in himj She did not even seem to know him’ and kept turning away from him to her mother, After trying in vain to introduce himself, her father had a bright idea. While living abroad -the child had heard a great deal and learned a little of the native language, Tamil, and also some Chinese. So dropping all his best English attempts he said something to her in Tamil. There was a startled cry. Instantly Kathleen turned and, runping to him with arms outstretched, she cried, “Oh, Daddy!” Her face shone with happiness and wondering recognition.-