GIRL GUIDES’ CORNER

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 125, 17 August 1927, Page 6

GIRL GUIDES’ CORNER

The First Company of Levonport Girl Guides held their annual ball at Devonport on the evening of Thursday, August 11, the festival taking the form of a masked carnival, where many gay costumes were in evidence. The hall was decorated with balloons and coloured streamers, which added to the gaiety of the scene. This week a new Brave, Silver Dove, has been admitted to the Wigwam. Silver Dove has been long associated with guiding, and is a lieutenant of an Auckland company which has been represented in the Wigwam since its inception. She writes: “I come to the Wigwam and await the magic signal to lift the flap. I bring a young heart and a love of lapping waters and the great out-of-doors. You have heard of my coming from Eyes of the Morning, Shining Paddle, and Sickle Moon, worthy braves of the totem pole. “Each week I read with great interest all the Wigwam news, and am surprised to find I know a brave when I see the paleface name to a poem or story. 1 was particularly pleased when I found that Red Star had entered the Wigwam. I notice that she is a very regular correspondent, and fni sure that being a brave must mean a great deal to her.” Red Star herself writes: “Silver Heel came t visit me on Tuesday. She is a lovely girl, and I am looking forward to her next visit with eagerness. She has promised to bring Blue-fringed Moccasin along some time, and I am hoping it will be soon. It is very interesting for me to have so many of the Braves writing to me, or coming to see me, as when the Chiefs and Braves meet under the totem-pole very Wednesday flight I always take a great interest in the answers given to the ones I know.” * • » From Ited Leaf, who has been on the sick list, comes a cheerful letter, telling of her complete recovery, which she has celebrated by having a birthday. Among her gifts is a tennis racket. with which she hopes to beat “Suzanne.” * * * Laughing Cascade writes thus: “I should like to tell you of our Guide party, which was held recently in our Guide Hall at Herne Bay. It was a real surprise, for down the middle of the hall was a long table, which catered for about 50 girls, while coloured streamers decorated the hall itself. In the middle of the table was a three-tier birthday cake, as it is now three years since the formation of the troop. After tea the table was removed from the hall, and the rest of the evening devoted to games. “Two new recruits from the Holly patrol were enrolled, then the Guides formed a horseshoe, and sang “Taps.” “Glistening Water is in the same Guide troop, and we are friends. And from Whispering Tree, who would like a Guide Brave aged 14 or 15 to correspond with: “I have been very busy working for mv second class badge. I am a patrol leader in the St. John’s Company, Papatoetoe. Last Saturday morning w'e had our second class examination, and in the evening our birthday party, after which we were presented with our badges. I love Guiding, and also the Wigwam. And thus must fall the flap for another week. —Redfeather. INSECT STRATEGY A French naturalist observing ants in Africa reports that he put some grain in a box on the top of a pole. The ants climbed the pole, and at first carried the stuff away, grain by grain, down the pole. But by the second day they had thought out a better way. Two gangs appeared, one to climb the pole, the other to receive the grain dropped down to them by the top gang. Bands of glue were painted round the stick, but the ants, after a few of them had been caught, built a dyke over the gum, using sand and earth for their bridge. The naturalist took the box away and put it in a more difficult position. It was placed on a tripod, which was put in a pan of water. For a long time the ants seemed to be thinking this puzzle out. Then they appeared again, quite prepared for their task. A file of them were carrying leaves and tiny twigs, with which they formed a pontoon bridge to one leg of the tripod, and so reached the grain! The investigator was most interested to observe that the ants chose floating nuiteriuls to build their bridge. i and heavier materials to get over the I glue.