Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

30 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

COUNTRY NOTES,I '

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

COUNTRY NOTES, I Dew Curiosity. I The amount of dew that is nightly deposited on any object depends to a great extent upon the particular colour of that object. If- four pieces of board are taken and painted respectively red, yellow, green, and black, then exposed during the night, it will be found next morning that there is no dew at all on the red and black fboards, that the green is damp, and the yellow ,covered with moisture. The Anatomy of the Caterpillar. The thoughtless person who carelessly crushes the life out of a caterpillar would probably be amazed if told that he had crushed an organi- sation that was made up of parts as numerous and quite as interesting and instructive as those of the elephant. And a careful study of the anatomy of this minute and much despised animal has disclosed so many singular and in- teresting parts aa to warrant a quarto volume on the subject. Four thousand and forty muscles have been discovered in the caterpillar, and not only discovered but accurately de- eoribed. All of which goes to show that, though trite, 'tis true that to the Creator the smallest Insect is as important as the largest vertebrate. A Winter Visitor. The woodcock is a winter visitor to this country, generally leaving in spring, though some remain to breed, and, where there are (plantations of pine, and fir, and larch, the num- ber increases year by year. The length is about 14in., and plumage reddish-brown with small black markings. These birds lie low during too THE WOODCOCK. I day, the plumage harmonising well with their surroundings of dead and dying leaves, and come out at dusk to feed. There is but one brood in the season, and the old birds carry the young from place to place. The call-note of the male is a loud "whirr." They Must Gnaw. Rabs, mice, and squirrels unceasingly gnaw at something, not out of pure mischief, as people generally imagine, but because they are forced to. Animals of this class, especially rats, have teeth which continue to grow; as long as the owner lives. This being the case, the rodent is obliged to continue his gnawing so as ito keep his teeth ground off to a proper length. Ducks and Water. Ducks don't need water to thrive. There are many farms in this country, where thousands of these fowl are raised each year fop market, and where there is not even a puddle for them to flounder in. One of these establishments is said .to furnish 20,000 ducks a year. Tapping the Poles. Electricul energy has some curious results," days a telegraph linoesman,. For instance, Woodpeckers are continually pecking teLegraph In the country you will find poles every- where honeycombed by the sturdy bills of thesfe abirds, which BUstakes the humming sound in- ieide the poles for the humming of insects, and 4L is to get at these that they make their perfo- rations. The Rain. The atmosphere needs washing just the same as everything else. After rain has been falling for some time the impurities in the air are greatly lessened, and the satisfaction with which lvvlo breathe in the washed air after a good rain- fall indicates that our senses are bearing testi- mony to its purification. The Pride of the Zoo. In Bronx Park there lives a squirrel that is the pride of the Zoo as well as the envied of its mates. This squirrel possesses a remarkably 10ng tail, silky, thick, and of a beautiful greyish •white. It is almost large enough to go around 1% woman's throat, and many a female eye has CURIOUS SQUIRREL. been fastened upon this fine bit of fur with a. -view to making it a part of a winter wardrobe. The squirrel is a great pet, however, and the ikeepsrs would not allow any harm to come to it. Thrush "Building on Ground. Every lover of birds, says Mr. C. R. Hadfield In "Nature Notes," can give numerous instances of strange and out-of-the-way nesting places, ut it is so rarely that a matter of fact bird like ,the thrush departs, from precedent, that any example becomes worth chronicling. The ex- •aanple is that of a thrush's nest built 011 the ground in the middle of a marshy paddock. It was placed in an old hoof mark, on a slight arise, within 3ft. of a ditch used for draining, .-where the first kingcups were in flower. There rwsta no hedge or cover of any description within 25 or 30 yards, and no attempt had been made 4o utilise the rank dry grass for purposes of con- icaalment. The blue eggs attracted the eye from •quite a distance. The Nest. The nest itself was strangely unorthodox, ohly a small portion of it being built in the ordinary way. On the left hand side alone was there the usual outer wall of bents and dry roots cemented on the inside; the back wall was formed by the deepest part <e>f the hoofmark, apparently untouched; on the Sight hand side the bird, so far from trying to eGüüeal itself, had actually pulled down some of the dry coarse grass to the bottom of the nest, hut had left it un cemented; the front was quite open and the ground outside on a level with the bottom of the TVCT-

EMINENT OPINIONS PRAISING…

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