FOR THE CHILDREN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16681, 13 March 1922, Page 9

FOR THE CHILDREN.

A JAPANESE DOLL.. The Japanese doll on the nursery shelf Smiles down in her little slant way. If only the quaint little stranger could speak, X wonder whatever she’d sny. 60 long she has lived on that nursery shelf. I wonder no English she's learned ; No sound has she uttered to give us a hint If she for far Nippon lias yearned. O shy little doll, of inscrutable smile. One word from your lips if you please! But perhaps, after all. we no wiser should he. For methinks you would talk Japanese. AN INDIAN Cl STOM. In days gone by a terrible fate- awaited the Hindu babies when the sun dried up the smaller rivers and the ricefields foiled for want of ram. The mothers fancied the gods were angry, anl in order to win their pardon they sacrificed to them ’ the best .they hod,’* and threw the babies into the Ganges the sacred river in which the natives still believe a goddess dwells. Thus, they thought, the famine would be stayed. VISITORS TO BEN NEVIS. The staff of the observatory on the top of Ben Nevis are visited from time to time by a great many animals, some of which remain with them as pets. One winter a snow bunting was driven by stress of weather to the house. Food was given to it, and thereafter it came daily to the window for its meal. On another occasion, a *’ blue.” or mountain hare, was found by the side of a loch on the Ben. It was taken ■ r home,” and soon grew tame. There was only one objection to it. In the evening the creature was most lively, and used to annoy its protectors when they were reading or writing, by get- ; ting in the way of the light, from the I lamp. But that, of course, was a pure accident, and the men gradually got accustomed to it.