The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956)(about) |
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Tuesday 27 March 1917
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4 corrections, most recently by kees - Show corrections
NOTES FOR BOYS.
By DONALD MACDONALD.
BURKE AND WILLS, EXPLORERS.
Inquiries about the graves of Burke and Wills, explorers, come from J. Green (Warragamba).
The bodies of both explorers were first buried where they were found on Cooper's Creek by a search expedition led by the late Dr. A.W. Howitt. On a second trip Dr. Howitt brought the bodies to Melbourne, and they were buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery. I have not seen the grave and monument for many years, but my re- collection of it is a huge rough hewn slab of granite.
Y.M.C.A. BOYS' SECTION.
The Y. M. C. A. have commenced a junior depart- ment, and are anxious to get into touch with any lads who intend inaugurating a club, or they would welcome as members boys who are not at- tached to any club at present. Other clubs are invited to communicate with the Boys Work Secre- tary, Mr. Trevor Krone, at the Y.M.C.A. rooms, Flinders Street, Melbourne.
WEEVILS IN SKINS.
"A. B. W. " asks about preserving rabbit skins from weevils, or getting rid of them where they have already attacked the skins.
In a gallon of hot water dissolve 1lb of arsenate of soda, which costs anything from 6d. to 1/ a pound. Mix with this four gallons of cold water, making the mixture five gallons in all, which should he sufficient to treat about 125 skins. It is neccessary to see that the solution gets into every crease of the skin.
This also answers a query from "W.J. " (Black- sands).
CANOEING ON THE 1ARR\
"PJD" (Brunswick), with a friend, conlcm plates a canoeing trip up the Wra and asks how far the) may go I hive «ten the stream at various points," he savs, from fairfield up to Warrandyte, and think it ought to be passible to take the canoe as far its Templestowe
That is about the distance whit h experience proves to ho possihle I have records of canoe trips to Templestowe and 'larra Glen, but I heard some years ago that two Melbourne Grammar School bo>8 took llteir canoe us far as Healesville, though I imagine the last part of the joumey must hive been i tough Job, with more carr) ing than paddling As to distance I have a vague recollection of a statement that the survejed course of the river from Heidelberg to Melbourne alone was about CO mile? There arc members of the Melbourne Canoe Club, I think who have hone for a considerable distance upstream
POSTAL ADDIÏLSS
As an Hluflntian of the difficulty of meeting requests made to mo when pooUl addresses are omitted, I give two examples without comment "Father * (Ballarat) writes - * Could nny of your readers supply me through your column with in structions for making a humming kite, also a box kite? I have two lads and tilt1} each want mc to mike them it kite * The details required arc too lengthv for publication They wonjd have been Immediately supplied by letter but there arc many fathers in Ballarat nod Hit writer given a name, a number, and a street there would hu\c been no difficulty in replying
I hod a letter from a Collingwood reader who was very anxious to get a dog, for which kind treatment and a good home was offered By the same post carne another letter from a St Kilda lady, who wished to find a home for a good fox terrier only because she liad two other dogs, and titree were too mam As there was no postal address from Collingwood the writer missed just the opportunity she wanted
SVAK* SKINS
I have not heard of the conversion of snake skins Into leather, about which A H Mcintosh (NSW) inquires, but thev may be dressed with »pirita of wine for>prc!.enaUon when used as bclU*
or with the alum method of tanning Dctiila will be sent b) poft
LOST iiOMrns
Ii Scott, Mount Widdern, Skipton, «ays that a lo3t horner has come to the farm, whtre it will lie kept for tlie owntr The markings are -Metal (bands, 1,703, % II A , Nos 191 and OS, rubber baud,
87 II
GENERAI TOPICS.
PASTE BUTS
"Reader** {Lismore) siva Hut in ninkfot? pisle baits for loncli lie mixed Hour, golden ty rup, and cotton waste to a ven stiff puste but when it hid bt.cn In the water for a Jfttlc while there was onl> tin. cotton left tie also asia whether raising fowkul in unifeed oil arc regarded as nn inducing
bait for tench
\ good past*, bait ma) be rnitlo bj tn-tine- sonio of the inside of a loaf of white or brown brcid,
put it into a cloth, dip it into water once, then I Screw the clotli around the lump, and sqi,ec?e it between the linders bv pressing \dd a little cotton wool, and, if avaihble, a few drop«; of ver milion, to gi\e it a plnkWi colour The paito ma* be madt. sweet 1» adding1 hone* to the briarl crumb«, with n fiw drops of gin If readily obtain able, and kneading it to a proper consistency Cheese piste is sometimes nude bj mixing new cheese arid stale bro id, alwajH adding cotton wool
1 have some recollection of raining being used as a bait for retch und other 1 ngHsh pond fish, but 1 '
lm\o never tried them
W l'UMBPti *ISII1NG
In repl) lo "Fisher, ' bream are the stock flab in the Werribee though probably one would get mullet near the mouth, where the flshinc, how ever, is not so pleas mt The bream ronches begin three miles or so below \\ txribec station, at which point tin. tidal inllucncc is felt There are trout in the higher reaches of the river, and eels in all parla of it, if night Dulling be det-lred UtnU at) to tau le and bait would take up rather too much spate, but the writer (who g Wes no postal ad drew) should get Mr 1 1 Champley's Australian Anglers' Guide,, which is sold for 1/, and will give him inan> useful h i n ti
WALKING TOURS I
"Billjim" (bt. Kilda), who is taking a wilkins
tour at taster, ask., for some hints its to hardening |
the feet beforehand
Hardening the feet is not tho miin thing Suit able boots are really the more important considera tion Loope Irouts, with fatrlj thick solea, are de sirable, and. above all things they should not be ti#ht at the toe \ Wi.ll Utting cork sole inside im pre» es the hoot-if the introduction of the sole still leaves it loo'c enough to the foot. Bootu that have been alruidv well worn, but ure still sound,
arc bett for walking
An old soldier give« the following method of making tin. feet fit for marching- For thick skin and welts rub on a dressing of toft soap at bed time, pull on an old p dr of Bockß ittpcat tina for three night- On the fourth night place the fett in a tub of hot water, »bout Baueg, for an hour, and, with a piece of punnu, stone and soft roap, rub otr the thick skin ' Oentl> docs it " Do not make the part raw Hub on a little vaseline mixed with flnelj powdered horade acid (oin, of acid to six of vaaeliue Repeat Uti» the lolluwing week if
neceasar)
a he Militar) Held Service Pocket Book suggests the following hints clthtr for sore feet or to pri-
vent soreness -Bathe the feet at night in tepid wa Ctr with salt or alum in it boap the flockt» b_
fore marcliing or powder them inside with horatio
powder
MOTOR FISHING TOUR
"Perth" (Brunswick) contemplates a four days* flailing tour at 1 aster, and wishes* recommendation as to a btreimt in bi_ plate, I should go to -Nagain bic, and work along the Goulburn In autumn, especially, cod »ecm to luke the »Poon and spinner more freely ti ian at an) other pciiod of the year "Perch" may have ween in "Nature Notes" re ccntly a recommendation of the Boolarra. Reservoir, on the Moorabool, for trout fishing Writers from Marysville also mention that the streams about there were well stocked with trout, both Brown and Rainbow, up to _Nb in weight. Two anglers recently landed 31 trout in three hours' fishing That ought to be a strong inducement The trout season closes on May 1
IN THE OPEN AIE.
A WORLD WANDERER.
The name is not inappropriate for that ver) , beautiful butterfly the Wanderer (Danaus crippus), a \er> tine specimen of which was sent for iden tiflcatiou b> "Ru-bie" (Larpent) It looks a tiler all over, and is at once identifiable by the double border of white spota all round the wing margins. file original home of the Wanderer wis South America, m Bolivia, und the Ama_on rcfcion Thence it spread to North america, Canada the West Indies, and about 10711 the first specimen was noted in England In years following it was seen in different parts of Jyjiope mid carne apparently by the Marquesas Island*., Tonga, and Samoa, to Queensland, in 1S70 Tlie I first specimen was seen near Melbourne tn 1872
It has been seen flying strongly quite 200 miles awa) from land Because of its peculiar odour, birds never touch it Parasitic enemies of its native land have not followed it abroad so tliat
we mav expect that the beautiful Wanderer | will beeomo more abundant as the years go on
The milk thistle is the natural food of its cater , pillars, and as tlicte. through their downy seeds, spread rapidly over the world, the Wanderer found its food suppl) ahead of it
SPECIMENS RKCF1VED
from "Reader ' (Lismore), n wattle goat moth From "0 I " (Mathoura. N S W ), a death's hoad snider and eggs from which a multitude of young had emerged 1 rom Mead S S , large beetle not previously seen, and sent to Mr French Roughl) ft was like the orange tree borer, only about Jin in length A second specimen of th. same beetle, packed in flannel in a match box, has also been received It has something the appcirnncc of a Urge click beetle Iront "CB" (Canberra, NS.W), \ustralian worm snake, or blind worm From Arthur Bound (Ocean Grove), Yellow box borer There arc two varieties, this (Phorocintha tncusphO being the larger I rom "LAH" (Fairleigh), llucbncr'a case moth, and a largo spider, which I cannot name I*ram -innaarSS one of the flower wa«r>8, with the specific nam of which I om not acquainted I nclosed wit.. green card label a Wanderer buttcrfl) See note elsewhere From "Maisie ' (Geelong) kmpcror gum moth and one of the smaller dragon filch _rom Archie \itkin (Melbourne), one of the swift moths, which are ven fast fliers. From McDonald Haig (I pper Nooroongong), a convolvulus hiwl
moth, winch had pupated From Phyllis Wedhck (Caulfield), a small fungus attached to a chip of wood It looks exactU like a reversed bell with a double clapper inside, but it is impossible to name it tram Doroth) Whitehead (Penshurst), a yellow mantis, the first of the colour 1 have seen. It is a beautiful bufT jellow, in other respects much like the green pra)ing mantis, onl> rather I more bulky in proportion to itB length I rom Perey Davis (Riverside), a very striking tree grass- hopper, which I have seen before, but cannot
ninle' Bil ITI RI LY COLLrCTIONS
! "Len Churches'* (Uneister) would like to com municate with an) hov who can sell him a col
lection of Australian butterflies, which he wnntr fora bo) friend In Fngland who is a collector
MORTALITY AMONGST WILD DUCKS
"Sport" (Koondrook) gives facts noted by many shooters as to a strange mortallt) amongst wild duck and swans These hove excited much local comment, but no com moins explanation With others he visited a large lagoon which had not been shot over to anv f,reat extent and during the dav they found numbers of ducks dtid, others diing, while niun) of the ducks which seemed to be fully feathered were quite unable to fl), ami could eisil) be caught On examination all seemed to be in splendid condition and quite free from t-hot marks A number ot swans were in the same state Tlie water was good, about Jft deep, and
running If a disease, the) are curious as to,
its nature
Appircntl) It Is a disease, but conjecture as to the nature of it would be waste of time Tlie only way In which it could be determined is by sending one of the birds for examination to such an authorit) as Dr Bull, or the Melbourne University. ^