FEATURES
Our World ·
WITHOUT doubt thore
Ware more English Star- lings in America than any other bird. Once the spar row was on top of the population list, but now ho's been crowded back to second place.
This is oven moro ro- markable when you stop to think that the English Starling came to America in 1900.
How did he get there? It's rather
amazing story.
an
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1958.~*
FOR
BOYS AND
GIRLS
Bird With a Billion Brothers Flying Indian Feathers
Starlings love the company of cattle.
all of the birds mentioned by The sterling has a cunnlag his favourite Engilsh author, that surpasses that of humans, William Shakespeare.
in some instances.
In Gur it follows herds
common in the midwest, First
of "ita Avo eggs are usually
DURT WAS, MAKING Indlan headband.
Ban
hatched before our other birds Little Jim and Betsy were bagin nesting.
watching.
i:
Many cities have made war on him. Starlings were shot, Spiffy, the children's clubbed, polsoned, netted, elec beautiful long-talled rooster, trocuted all to no avall. They bred faster than people Could was there, too, but HE kil them,
wasn't watching. He was
He's not
bird. Just sitting drowsing in the a very nico But he's smart. In winter he sunshine. has been known to post on
chimneys 10 keep his feet Sparky, the pup, WOB warm. Town clocks have been lying with his head on his put out of business because 60 paws but HE wasn't sleepy. many starlings roosted on the
that hands
the mechanisms Ho was watching Burt plek up the feathers for his broke,
headband and slip them in place and then clip them n stapler that But he's not all bad. Ho cats tight with of cattle, much like a cow bird, living off the small insects dis- a lot of insects, for one thing, fastened, the feathers firmly furbed by the animals as they sejentists, checiding the stom whenever Burt squeezed it.
It has been known to achs of atarlings, have found
pair of "It's sort of like cutworms to contain
crickets, pluchel" Betsy Bald. "It in full flight, just like the pur- prasshoppers, beetles, coop insects from the air while them
and a host of other squeezes a pln right down ple martin. It is so strong and spiders,
oulflight bugs we
like to see extermi- hold them tight. I wish I could belligerent that it can
USC It. I want headband, birds twice lis size.
nated.
1J0!" really
The Hral starling
had English sparrows, 110 went to America because a wealthy chaffaches, skylarks and star New York drug manufacturer lings enged and sent here, vin loved Shakespearel
The men responsible was the late Eugene Schleffelin.
Every single one of the un- counted billions of starlings there today is a direct descendant of
n mère 100 birds that Schieffe- in brought over from England,
bost.
and The delicate nkylarks nightingales soon died out in rigorous castern the country's winters. But not the starlingst Today the starling has pene
very
nook and trated
11 various eaglern were set free in cranny. Central Park, New York City, and midwestern areas its popu- other Schieffeln was hobbyist, lation is so heavy that and his hobby was an unusual birds are dying out, for it is one; to introduce 10 America both a robber and a killer,
The birds
Braze,
Mr Schieffelin, you The prolife starling is one of
the started something! the first birds to nest in spring. It raises not one, bul
-GROVER BRINKMAN two, broods during the season. Even three broods is not
ur:-
You Should Know-Some Unusual Uses Of TV
AIL TELEVISION IS NOT FOR FUN. INDUSTRIAL FIRMS HAVE DIS- COVERED MANY USES FOR SO-CALLED "CLOSED CIRCUIT TY.
IN STEEL MILLS, ONE OPERATOR CAN CONTROL AVAST SYSTEM OF CONVEYORS-GUIDING STEEL SLABS ACCURATELY.
. IN ANOTHER SYSTEM RAIL-
ROAD CARS ARE LOADED
BYA MAN WHO WATCHES
A TV SCREEN WHILE HE OPERATES CONTROLS.
A POWER COMPANY HAS A
TV CAMERA WATCHING ITS SMOKESTACK. IF TOO MUCH ASH SPEWS CUI,
THE FIRES ARE READJUSTED.
DURING TESTING OF AIRCRAFT
WING SECTIONS, A TV CAMERA, INSIDE, SHOWS WHICH STRUTS ARE BENDING.
ROCKET LAUNCHING IS OBSERVED FROM POSITIONS OFSAFETY WITH CLOSEDORCUIT,TY
SLLARTERE
Long Ago-New Missiles And Old Mortars
set aside 60 acres
BANGOR, MAINE, has
073
4
П
10
Puzzle Pete's
COLUMN
CROSSWORD
AUROSS
1
Algonquian, Indian
4 Musician's baton
7 Ago
Down the road flew Splify with the headband-after him.
Spiffy jumped to the porch held Spiffy's broken tall feather
0 Compass point railing again, sailed over the to the Indian headband.
9 Sallor Bhe petted his sleek feathers 10 Observe "You can make one when I'm children's heads. through. I think Mummy haa
A big mail box with an open and spoke softly to him. "Poor 11 Spinning toy
a post. The big Spiffy!" she said, "it's all over 12 Also more feathers. Let's go and ask door stood
dark inside her!" said Burt.
looked safe. He now. We'll give you bread and 14 Frozen water Blew and crouched low on tired, milk for supper! And een, 17 Bustle Burt and Beely started for wabbly feet while outside, be too?"
18 Propel a boat the house and then Little Jina hind him, the Indian headband
Then they started home 10 Used to write with thought HE'D like to help with dangled from his tired, droop Burt carried Spiffy, Betay led 20 Dutch city the headband, too. He picked ing toll.
Little Tim, and Sparky trotted gally behind with his
the end
up the stapler. He picked up There Buri found him. Ho
of a shining feather reached in gently and gathered wagging joyfully. and Alipped it inside the head- the rooster in his arms. Betsy band and he pressed the stapler pried the staplo loose which hard just as he had seen Burt
do.
The feather was fastened but right, for Lillie
It Aldn't look Jim had only clipped the TIP of it to the band, not the quill; end. He tried to pull it loose and then Little Jim discovered something. The OTHER end of the long curving feather was fastened RIGHT ON SPIFFY, THE ROOSTER!
:
tafl
By Solveig Poulson Russell
A Bridge For O'Scowl
-His Friends Build One For Him-
By MAX. TRELL
YNARF, the Shadow Boy with K
the Turned-About Name, saw the crowd collected around
When Spiffy felt the sharp the edge of the brook long yauk on lus curving tall he before he reached the spot. He jumped wide Rwake. He wondered what was the matter. SQUAWKED. He uttered his It wasn't unul he got quite close wings and moved off. But the that Kriart saw that it was Pixie
Ground Indian headband, fastened to O'Scowl
the whom him, moved to, right after crowd was gathered. Spiffy.
"But how am I going to get Spiffy squawked louder and across to the other side?" Pixie Sparky barked and jumped at O'Scowl was asking in an angry him, and away went Splity, volce. "What happened to the with the headband flying bo- bridge? Where is it?"
und him!
By this time Burl and Betsy were back and they yelled, "Stop! Spiffy! Spiffy! SPARKY! STOP!"
Several Voices
to answer at once.
At this, several voices started
"It, fell down!" explained Blinkle Melc.
"It was swept away!" added
For some time the British They got together a fleet of 43 American vessels turned tall
But Spiffy didn't stop, and vessels, 10 of them armed, and ros. had been looking for a vantage 43
.stop.. Over the Many of the American shipa Sparky didn't the 24 of them fransports loaded somewhere along polnit which to build launching northern coast of the colonies, with flour, rlee, salt meat, 600 were captured. One went ashore fence went the rooster with the
same with all its sails flying. An-headband sailing like a kite bo Willy Toad.
creekhind him. Under the fence shelters for missiles, and of and in June, 1770, they moved gallons of rum, and the course the whole town has in.end took possession of what amount of molasses and ammu- other ren up a narrow
and blew itself up. A number went Sparky, and through the today is one of the loveliest nlions. become missile-minded.
Unfortunately, Instead of the were burned. Nine got to Ban-gate went the children, shout coastal towns in New England,
elthering and calling. But in the centre of the Castine. It was called Bignduce 1,500 they had planned would gor, where they
blown up. Those
Around the bend they went eity, which our geographies then, a name given it by the man the ships, there were leas burned or
and than 1,000. All were untrained, nine carried 154 guns,
Blake Just tell us is situated on the Indians.
many too young or too old to every one of them went to the and there was Mr
getting off his riding horse. Penobscot River, 60 miles
bottom of the river.
The second the horse saw the from the sea, stands an old
wild squawking rooster, HE snorted and broke loose off HF rap.
cannon that could tell as
★ ☆
The
them.
Maxachusetts
British landed 650 men thrilling a story 19 any with their officers and left them modern missile that has there with three sloops to guard been launched from Cape Canaveral,
The town didn't see much fret of Maine weren't going to of the Revolution until a take this invasion lying down. certain day in August, 179 Immediately got ready to go down to Bignduce and drive the British out.
years ago.
night.
CRU-
were
sald
O'Scowi was angry because the bridge was missing.
brook. Io tied the end of the web to a raspberry bush.
Then the Spider spun more and the Grasshopper webs Jumped across with all the ends and tied them all to different parts of the raspberry bush.
"Look!" sald Knarf, "It's like a net across the brook."
"But I can't walk on it," said Pixie O'Scowl. "Tu fall
I saw the farmer come along and take it home with him for firewood,"
Christopher Cricket,
"But I have to get across! through." How am I going to get scrOES without A
bridge?" Pixlo O'Scowl demanded in a louder and and louder volce,
•
Mude a Path
History lolls us that they went into the tray too tiously.
And this is the story of the They "played seat," as they little cannon that now sits there say in Maine. They dilly-dallied In the park.
Forty and the Dis- around waiting for just tho
time frightened and bewildered, and yents from the
a band there was Sparky and Mr with an Impatient mod of his them side by side schological moment to attack of that facco, in 1839, the three British ships and they of enterprising men came up Blake and Burt and Delay and hend.
the Penobscot with diving Little Jim all going as fast as "What happened to the Just
were at Jast as they waited too long.
bell to see if they couldn't they could after them. drawn up ready to attack, over salvage some of those sunken the horizon enmein second Bri- guns. Many of them
On and on they went until were in tish.neet, one large warship, plain sight at low tide.
thuy.came to the crossroads They
lived. where Mrs Hemmler ships, two brigs, managed to bring up quite Frigate, two and a sloop-seven in all, with number of them and Vangor's
There, coining toward them, 200 guns and 1,600 men,
was a car. little ehnnan is GRE. They immediately launched ruch heavy brandside that the
Then Blinkle Mole and Willy It was at this moment that Toad and Chirple Sparrow got leaves and bits of mosa and So there was Splify and the Knart came -along.
blades of grass and Blacklo horse dashing down the road,
Pixie O'Scowl greeted him Beelle took them all and Jald to make a path all across the cobweb bridge.
Then they made a railing of straw and twiga and dozen
Salt Necessity In Animal Diet
7HILE rambling about to Increase the health
A
the hiker seCS some very queer things. An object that caught my eyo during a nojourn up a lone. ly wooded canyon was greon quaking aspen log about 20 feet long that had been hollowed out to depth of about four inches from one end to the other..
D
this to be a salt trough for
creatures.
undi
-Henry H. Grahom
Highest Volcano 66/HAT is the highest
ques-
*
By M. S. Sholton
Musical Rainbow
By Bobble E. Hogerman
l
|bridge?" he asifed Knark,
Just a Log
DOWN
1 Group of matched pleces
2 Constellation
3 Funny
4 Breatho
First number
0 Scottish river
12 Faucet
13 Poem
15 Food Ash
10 Female sheep
BEHEADINGS
behead
again
Behead "rubbish" and have "headstrong" and have "a kind of trea"; unre have on admonition to bo quiet,"
WHAT'S WRONG HERE?
Cartoonist Cal 'mado a few mistakes in sketching Puzzle Pete's barnyard scene. Grade yourself 20 points for each one you can find:
WORD TRIANGLE
Firebles Blood all along the way Puzzle Pele has hung his and flashed their lanterns so word triangle from PARENTA. that Pixie O'Scowl would be The second word is "Idolizes";
Kharf had seen the bridge able to see where he was going third to cook in an oven enrlier in the day.
even if the sun went behind a fourth "Gaelic" ftb "a seine"; for and sixth an abbreviation cloud and it got dark. The car hom tooted, fercely, It wasn't a real bridge. It "Theref** exclaimed Knarf,top shelf." Are you able to the driver leaned out
and was simply a log which reached
complete the triangle from these
yelled. Then, just before the from one side of the brook to the "the bridge is alt finished!"
Pixie O'Scowi ran across, cluca?
car repched them, the horse other which all the Bugs and gathered his mushrooms and suddenly swerved to ono sice Smoll, Animals in the neighbour- berries Though the bridge and got stopped against a fence hood the ones who couldn't swayed under his weight, it where he stood snorting until swim, at any rate-used to cross didn't fall down. Mr Blake caught up with them. from one alde at the brook to Do you think Pixle O'Gcowl
But Spiffy turned to the other the other,
6. He Wears a Pair of side and flew into Mrs Hemm- Wings
ler's yard and right up onto her porch where Mrs Hemm- {ler mat peacefully knitting.
1.
3. Canyon
Tango
... Coloured Sky
Jn
4. That Old ---- Magic
Christmas
''
5.
!
B. Salls in the Sunset
9. The Moon Was-
10. My Isle of Dreams
weron of imonax ja spor and s produce Sonja 1- SULMSNV
7. Deep S Complete these song titles by XY volcano on earth?" filling in the blanks with colour, Many people do not know or shades of certain colours. the answer to that tion. The highest valcano Closer Inspection revealed on earth is Cotopaxi. sheep. The animals would, of the Andes of Equador, the course, make regular trips to volcano rises to a height of the trough for salt which is os 19,613 feet, or a distance of necessary to the diet of animals almost four miles above the na to human beings. Herders the surface of the ocean. would keep the trough well Alled at all times. When I Colopaxi is located about 50 examined the receptacle it con- miles south of the equator. The lained about two inches of salt, valley at the foot of the volcano has an elevation of 9,000 feet. The frat eruption was in 1833, and Cotopaxi has erupted to There is little doubt that decrimes since. The most serious and other wild animals as well eruption occurred in 1768, when
volcanic ash was
*
earried 130
as domestic sheep partook of miles. The last arupion of Cp- the contents. Dour tracks were topaxi was in 1903. all about the place.
Que remarkable thing about
When they can be found, wild this volcano is that besides be- creatures prefer to get thoirng covered with snow and fee salt from natural salt licks. But during the winter, its fery are visible more than they don't hesitate to eat any glows
salt that can be found whether half a mile away at night, a In eruption, "vast quantities. provided by nature or by man.
of hot ashes are thrown out The game department puts through the mouth of the vol out thousands of salt blocks cano, and the heat of thsimo, every year, scattering them melting the snow on the slopes, through areas frequented by causos destructive floods which wild life. No doubt they help sweep Into, the valley..below...
Rupert and the Early Bird-33
Rupert tells his Mother of the a group of bli pale who look, at "Hullo, Jackdaw's strange behaviour and film ·∙inquisitively,· next day she helps him to colles Rupert," Alay, cala."? Why 'azu. -you in such a karty 2: Aena's you' scraps of bread and meat and puta
going to speak to us ? ̈Won't you? them into a paper bag. He
come and have aŭgazm ?" Wher surely won't want moes then that, she smiles. “We mustn't * are you E to? What's in that paper bag 7. Are you going to: a make him-ill 1 So Rupert reta off briskly. Before long he mests
SL, ALL BIONTA KISERVÉD.
1
Beside Mrs Hemmler her cat was licking basketful. of kittens.
a
Mrs Hemmler didn't see too well, even with her glasses on the very Up of her nose, but when she heard the commotion she looked up.
1:im?
said thank-you to hin crowd of Knart agreed with Christo- friends who bullt the bridge for pher Cricket.
He certainly didi "The former took it away,” la said.
“He had no right to take away*
Pixie my bridge," growled O'Scowl.
"But he didn't know it was your bridge," replied Knart.
"Well, that's neither here nor there," Pixie O'Scowi sald at last in n surly volce. "I've got to get to the other side to pick some mushrooms and berries or else there will be no dinner tonight for the Pixies in O'Cheer
She saw the headband with Hall. How am I to get across?" the tattered feathers.
"ACH INDIANS) INDIANS ARE COMING!” iho soranmed, and she rushed Inside the house and locked the doors and pulled the blinds down,
Deep and Swift
and
Now the brook was wide and
deep the water flowed Awitily
Everyone knew that if Pizlo Spiffy rested
for a minute, 'Scowl
· had · started to walk squawicing, but then Sparky across, he would get wet up to camo barking and panting his eyebrows. with his red tongue hanging [eut,
bridget I need a "I need bridget" he kept saying.
Spiffy looked bbout wildly No one was strong enough to And then he saw the cut and cut another log. No ono know isiiteria. To bažkot looked like bow to build a real bridge. Thon a moft chicken nest. He gave they all put their heads together scheme. a tired gary 'and flew into it. and finally thought of
The second holanded, thu Thoy, got the Spider to spin a mother cat-meowed, fiercely | web. Then the Grasshopper jook and kittens · Besttered. In every | tha and of the web and jumpedi direction.
across to the other side of the
PARENTS
(Solations on Para 20)
■ ZOO'S WHO
THE SO CALLED MORMON
| CRICKETS ARE NO TRUL | CRICKETS BUT BE LONG.
TO THE KATYDID
FAMILY
Booris HONEY
CAPTAIN COOK, INITIO, ASKED A TREMEFINA, OHIO,IS” NATIVE THE NAME OF THIS ANIMALI THE HOME OF THE WHEN THE AUSTRALIAN REPLIED HAN GAROO (MBANİNG," "I DO NOT UNDERSTAND) COOK
** THOUGHT HE WAS GIVING THE NAME AND SO LABBLED.JTH
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