1 churchwarden, a gentleman whose duties are to look after the worldly affairs of a church. 2 confidently, with confidence ; positively. venture, hazard; an undertaking involving risk or chance. 3 THE structure and habits of the kangaroo are very wonderful. Its hind legs are very long and immensely powerful, the fore legs small, and used more as hands, than for walking. The tail is thick and strong, and assists the animal in its leaps. So rapidly are these leaps made, that the kangaroo appears to alight on its hind legs after every leap, and never to touch the ground with its fore legs at all. But this is only a deception, caused by the rapidity with which the animal performs its movements. On alighting from a leap, the kangaroo comes to the ground on its fore legs, and immediately draws up its hinder limbs. The female carries its young about in a kind of pouch, from which they emerge when they wish for a little exercise, and leap back again on the slightest alarm. All the kangaroos and the opossums have this pouch; hence they are called "marsupiated animals, from a Latin word meaning a purse or pouch. The kangaroo is an inhabitant of Australia and "Tasmania, and its singular formation is in every way adapted to its home. Australia is a thirsty region; water supply "The kangaroo is an inhabitant of Australia." (p. 142.) during most of the year is very precarious. With her young comfortably tucked in her pouch, the kangaroo can within an hour quench her thirst, even though the nearest pool should be ten miles distant. If she carried her young as members of the 'feline family do, her strength would soon be exhausted, and her life in danger. The flesh of the kangaroo is much relished by the Bushmen of Australia. The swiftness of the animal would leave its pursuers far behind, but the Australian is able to break one of its limbs, or strike it insensible to the ground with his boomerang, the most wonderful weapon that uncivilized man ever made. This extraordinary missile is a flat curved piece of wood, which the Australian natives wield with wonderful skill. Kangaroo hunting is a favourite pastime with the colonists, who hunt the animals on horseback, accompanied by trained dogs. The sport is often attended with danger, and not unfrequently the sportsman returns empty-handed. When the kangaroo is hotly pursued, he turns and faces the enemy. Sometimes he takes a stand in a water-hole, and seizing the dogs as they approach, thrusts them under water, and keeps them there till they are dead. Should he be brought to bay on land, he fights desperately for life. His hind legs are furnished with claws of great strength, and with them he tears the skin off the unfortunate dog that dares approach too close. The following extract from a newspaper shows that man may not attack the kangaroo with 'impunity : 10" Exasperated by the loss of my poor dog, I hastened to revenge its death, nothing doubting that with one biow of my formidable club my enemy would be prostrate at my feet. Alas! the remorseless white ants 12 frustrated my intentions. No sooner had the heavy blow descended, than my weapon shivered into a thousand pieces, (the centre of it had been eaten away by the white ants—a customary practice with these insects,) and I found myself in the giant embrace of my antagonist, who was hugging me and ripping at me in a way by no means pleasant. "My utmost efforts to release myself were 13unavailing, and I found my strength gradually diminishing; while at the same time my sight was obscured by the blood which flowed freely from wounds in my head and face. "I had almost given myself up for lost, when I heard a long and heart-stirring shout. Was I to be saved? The thought gave me new life. With increased power I threw off my foe, and making a desperate leap, succeeded in reaching a tree, to which I clung for support. The kangaroo was springing towards me, when a shot from a friendly hand ended the contest, and the exasperated creature rolled heavily on its side. "The scar from the wound on my face still remains, and ever will. I am an older hand at kangaroo hunting now, and never venture to attack so formidable an antagonist with an ant-eaten club." Describe the legs of the kangaroo,—the tail. For what is the kangaroo remarkable? To what class of animal does it belong? Where does it live? Show that it is suited to its home. Tell what you know of the climate of Australia. Describe the boomerang. 3 6 How does the kangaroo meet its enemy? Describe an encounter with a kangaroo. 1 structure, construction; form; make; arrangement of parts. 2 habits, ways or conditions of life; mode or manner of living. deception, delusion; an act of deceiving or misleading. 4 Australia, sometimes called a continent, is an immense island between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is a British colony. (see app.) 5 Tasmania, a large island to the south-east of Australia, from which it is separated by Bass's Strait. (see app.) precarious, uncertain; doubtful; unsteady. (see app., Australia.) "feline, cat. desperately, madly; furiously; in a way regardless of danger or safety. impunity, literally without punishment; freedom from injury or loss; security. 10 exasperated, enraged; irritated; provoked. "white ants, or termites, live in large societies and build edifices, sometimes of enormous size, and almost as hard as stone. (see app.) 12 frustrated, defeated; baffled; made of no effect. unavailing, of no avail; useless; ineffectual. 9 13 WHAT AM I? I'm a strange contradiction; I'm new, and I'm old; I sing without voice, without speaking confute; "What am I?" |