A CURIOUS ANIMAL

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 65, 8 June 1927, Page 14

A CURIOUS ANIMAL

The queer little creature the ni pus. Which has its home in Aust»?' is one of the curiosities of the ™ 5 world. Its body is squat and as are its short, thick l imbs enormous webbing of the fore-foo ’ paw. and the flattened tail, used ‘ 0r rudder and in diving, are its a.”* organs. Its muzzle, in appearance>nT the bill of a duck, is a most rental able possession. Under water , platypus keeps its eyes and earssh finding its way about and seeking U ' food through the agency of its wond ”* fully sensitive muzzle. The little an’ mal digs burrows in UTe banks rivers. The loosened earth it traml! into the tunnel, completing a six-i section in fifteen minutes it • 11 bill, its tail and claws. The hind w! are reversible so that it can m • backwards step by step. The DlatvS' 6 can travel over land, but how S?'!* not known. During floods it has r move about in search of food +l° waters recede it is often left in a deep water-hole, and then u makes its way back to the ma jn water, perhaps going straight acroS country. It is a water-diviner in f way, and taken a distanceawav from a river will go back by the most direct route. It resorts to the water twice daily to feed and remains ther« for a period of from twenty minute to three-quarters of an hour, perhaps longer if food is scarce. When feed! ing undisturbed it remains at the sur! face for a period of less than haif a minute for the purpose of chewing and swallowing its catch and then divest, collect more food. In feeding, it burrows with its sensitive muzzle among the mud and stones, sometimes burying more than half its body and thrusting obstacles aside with its powerfu' shoulders. A TRUE STORY From Scotland comes the following tale: A basket of apples was left on the hall table at night, and in the night the master of the house heard bumps on the hall floor. He put on his dress-ing-gown and ran downstairs to find that eight of the apples were gon*. Next day his wife found them neatly arranged in two rows in a small cupboard under the kitchen sink. A rat (which they afterwards saw and chased) had lifted the apples out of the basket one by one, rolled them off the table to the floor, and then, in the time the master was putting on his dressing-gown and coming downstairs, had pushed or carried them all across the hall, over two mats, through two doors, into the kitchen, and out of sight. Then, when all’ was quiet again, it had lifted each apple over a box six inches high which blocked the entrance to the cupboard, and laid them in a row. But the poor rat never enjoyed the fruits of its great exploit, for life in that house was made too warm for it, and after escaping death by inches it fled to a safer place. THE STORY OF A BOW The Boy King stood at a casement window and looked down at the horsemen and their restless steeds waiting in the courtyard. It was the time of strong castles and brave defenders; of outlaw bands hidden in deep forests; of warlike and other unfriendly neighbours. The Boy King smiled as he noted the rich liveries of the prancing horse, the bright tunics and plumed bonnets of their riders. “Tell me, Ashmed,” he said in a prideful voice. “Is it not well that the King’s Guards should be fittingly attired, even for the chase?” “As your Grace commands,” spoke Ashmed, leader of the King’s armies. But something in the tone of the old soldier made the young King question the wisdom of having his company thus decked for the hunt. He looked around, doubtfully. The sage, Hahmur, his teacher, stood behind him and gazed at the gay scene below with troubled eyes. “How be it, Hahmur,” said the boy, “Dost not fancy our gay trappings?' “All, my King forgets. I fear me. that the fleet deer may lead him into dense forests where the quick eye of robber bands may alight on these gay cloaks. Also, these cumbersome trappings may become entangled in the brush and hinder the movements of the Guard should your enemies set upon you. lam reminded of a fame us tale of the west I heard in my traveh “Speak,” commanded the youthf ii king. “My father, before his death, dm say thy tales contained much good counsel.” “ ’Tis the story of a hunter who owned a good strong bow,” said the sage. “So strong was it that this forester could shoot farther -than an} other. For this reason he was called the Chief Hunter. One day he took up the bow to put a new cord in it. # “ ‘What a plain, ugly bow it is, ne thought. ‘The Chief Hunter should have a more handsome bow than this. “The praise of the people had made him proud, and he forgot how nuicb the credit was due to his good do • Now he was dissatisfied because it ua so plain; but he knew it was and he did not want to buy a new o So he took it to a woodcarver anu said, ‘Here, my good man, carve m bow. Make it beautiful and fit for w hand of the Chief Hunter.’ “The wood-carver made of the pi bow a thing of beauty. Deep m ; wood he carved flowers and sc t of the chase. The Chief Hunter - delighted. Everyone admired the do and felt certain that the owner worn shoot better than ever. . , , “Soon after the bow was great fete of archery was held. “L r; prizes were offered as brought «un from far and near to try their s One after the other stepped up shot two shafts at the mark. “‘Good! Good!’ shouted the P®°P j whenever an archer shot straight true. ‘But wait, only wait unU L heJl Chief Hunter tries his new' boW * A h ". we shall see what really fine arc lt> “Proudly the Chief Hunter stepped forth. Every eye was upon bimtook careful aim and then bent bow. Slowly, carefully, he drew ahol t the string. But just as he was a n to let it go, there was a sharp . D f^.0 and the beautiful bow hung in pieces from the ends of the cora. eoo( i, deep carving had weakened the g strong bow-' and made it /jj<3 “‘Alas!’ cried the hunter. A.wpd Ido this thing? I should have P „ my bow for its strength, for atA that is the best thing a bow have.* ” _ trirc The tale finished, the boy looked regretfully at the gay a blage below and then turned to a 1 standing near. “Say to A Keeper of the Stables, that th wishes the trappings taken fro ni3 i horses and reserved for c f r ff 3 mU5 t days. Say. also, that the bunte^fir h(! n wear plain tunics of forest green t jje w'e followr the chase. As s °° n .. a s tart change can be made we shall for the sun is now well up.’ THE SILENT VOICES Man’s cry to man the heaven We hear not in our marts ana * The silent voices of the hills-" The message of the breathing -’ f Calling us through the night ana To come away, to come away. For still beyond the city gat® The fallow- fields eternal wait. For us to drive ourjurrow