NATURE NOTES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3556, 22 June 1912, Page 3

NATURE NOTES.

(Specially Written for the. Gisborne Times by ‘(Naturalist.”)

A PECULIAR TREE

One of the most remarkable plants in the world is the. cannon-ball tree, to bo found in British Guiana. - The natural height of the tree reaches to 80ft. or 100 ft., or even taller. The fruit is a hard globular capsule, seven inches or more in diameter, containing numbers of flat, circular seeds, rather larger than a sixpence, It resembles a--321b. shot, is brown in color, and very rough.

THE TASMANIAN WOLF.

The Tasmanian wolf is as large as the -common wolf, and preys by scent. He has wonderful -staying power, keeping up a steady canter for many hours. It preys upon "Wallabies and kangaroos, also other smaller animals, btu of recent years it has been so destructive to settlers flocks that the Tasmanian Government put a price on its head, which method has been successful in confining it, to the wilds. Its back and quarters are striped like those of a tiger.

DANCING ANIMALS.

Mr; Thompson Seton, in a lecture, gave an account of the manner in which wolves, when they were in no need of food and in. no danger from stronger animals, took part in the form of social amusement. His audience would, lie said, be amazed at the manner in which they went in for this. There was a practice in the case of foxes, and gamekeepers could, if they choose, tell them of occasions on which these animals played the game of “king of the castle.” In Saskatchewan the prairie grouse liad a springtime dance, fifteen or twenty of them joining in, round after round, and making all the noise they could. He had had pointed out to him the places where these dances took place, and on one occasion he had watched until the growing daylight revealed him and drove the birds away.

IN CASE OF ATTACK

There is a spider which inhabits the Riviera that constructs an amazingly clever nest. It makes a burrow, to the entranec- of which it affixes a trapdoor. It then proceeds to dig out a second burrow with an exit, so that the two are in. -the form of an X. An inner door allows the occupant to pass from one passage to the- other,, and is hung so that it can he swung against either point of the two halves of the X. Thus, if a centipede or other enemy finds its way into the burrow, the spider retreats to the other burrow, shutting the inner door. Should the enemy endeavor to force its way through this second door, the spidei at once makes its way out of the second burrow.

A FROG BUILDER

There is a frog indigenous to Brazil which builds a regular mud fort during the breeding season in order to protect her eggs and tadpoles. The female frog dives to the bottom of the water, scoops up two handfuls of mud, and repeats the process till she has erected a circular wall about one foot in diameter. She. keeps pn till the wall stands at least live inches above the surface- of the water, and the whole is most carefully smoothed down with her broad, webbed hands. The work is only performed at night and when it is completed the eggs are deposited.

THE LARGEST TREE

Calcutta is proud of possessing xTic largest banyan tree-in the world. Of the fig order, the banyan is peculiar for sending down aerial roots which penetrate the soil, in turn becoming stems or trunks. In this way one tree in course of time may form Thousands of props. The Hindus assist the development of the aerial root by 'preparing the soil and by protecting the young roots with bamboo tubes as" they approach the ground. Of extraordinarily rapid -growth, the banyan —which produces an abundance of gum lac,, and the bark of which is used as a tonic 'by Hindu physicians—frequently covers a space of /100 to 150 yards in diameter, and 80 to 100 feet in height.

A CLEVER PARROT

A Minnesota man. has a parrot which lie claims is the most intelligent bird living. After it had been in the family about two years it began to mock tlie cuckoo clock. Some months ago the clock fell, and the striking-or cuckoo part was broken. This puzzled the parrot, which watched the clock for days, and seemed to he studying deeply. At last he came to a conclusion, and greatly startled the family by taking up the duty tlie cuckoo had' previously performed, counting out; tlie hours perfectly at the exact moment with a clear call of "Cuckoo” for every hour the clock ought to have struck —one for one o'clock, five for five o’clock, and so on round the circle.