BOOK REVIEWED

Wairarapa Daily Times, 26 September 1933, Page 6

BOOK REVIEWED

The Kookaburra. The laugh of a kookaburra is reported to have astonished Miss Gaisford as she picked her golf ball out of the ninth hole during the match for the foursomes championship of Austialia. She jumped back startled and looked up half-fearfully at the laughing-jack-ass. Few New Zealanders have heard this bird, which, by the way, enjoys the distinction of appearing on Australian fid stamps. But it is not necessary to go to the Australian bush to hear it, for the laugh of one,. Jacko, has frequently been broadcast from the wileless stations of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and a gramophone record of his voice has been made for the Austialian National Travel Association. That laugh has been heard in America, England, France, Japan and other countries. The story of this bird’s adventurous life, written by Brooke Nicholls, has just been published by Angus and Robertson, Ltd., Sydney—“Jacko, the Broadcasting Kookaburra.” It is a book excellently produced, and makes most interesting reading. It is also claimed that this bird made the first sound “synchronised” film to be heard in Australia. Jacko travelled with a film on the life of the kookaburrji. When the film was shown a naturalist gave a talk on the habits of the bird and at the appropriate moment when the screen jackass was seen to‘ laugh, Jacko, from behind the screen, ‘ ‘ let them have it. ” Jacko was caught while still a very young bird and was trained to be a household pet before he became a radio and film artist. He recently completed a four tliou-sand-niilc publicity tour in a caravan along the eastern seaboard of Australia.