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| Carl Sagan's COSMOS is one of the most influential science programs ever made.
Q. Does the moon have a dark side?
A. The moon does have a far side which is impossible to see from the earth, but it doesn't mean that it's always dark. Each side of the moon is dark for no longer than 15 days at a time.
Q. Where does sound come from?
A. The air is always filled with sound waves. All things give off vibrations, but some have a low frequency which most cannot hear. The reason: it may take 3 minutes to make a single vibration. They may be caused by earthquakes and storms.
Did You Know?
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
Coke-a-Cola was originally green.
Rubberbands last longer when refrigerated.
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A Few of Australia's Curious Birds
by Jeanette Cain
There are between six and seven hundred different species of land birds on the Australian continent. Most are not noticed since they are considered dull creatures with little to offer. The obvious reason they are not studied is the difficulty in following their movements, which many researchers do not consider worth the effort. Some have great coloring, coloring needed to blend into the foliage of the area and to keep out of sight of any danger. It is difficult to spot these birds when they are high in the trees.
Many are night wanderers, but even the emu can manage to hide itself in the bush, or open plains well enough to go unnoticed unless stumbled upon. Their effective running pace offers problems for even the best horseback rider. The emu has three toes when compared to the two owned by the ostrich. Emus are quite powerful and at certain times during the season they may become quite dangerous. If happened upon during mating season, the emus' may feel threatened and proceed to chase the person entering the area.
The cassowary is often deemed a stupid and quarrelsome bird. It is next in size to the emu, and like the emu, it cannot fly. The colors on its fleshy neck are colorful and the feathers resemble bristles. Even in zoos people have little desire to spend much time with the cassowary, who looks old enough to have been on Noah's Ark. The aborigines will eat the cassowary when searching for food, but the majority of people find the cassowary meat distasteful. The cassowary does not possess a great personality, and if bothered during breeding season, the cassowary can become violent.
Emus' and cassowaries do have one thing in common-they will swallow the strangest of items, such as, iron, glass, leather, or whatever else may be lying around. There was a story of an emu dying after swallowing a pouch of tobacco.
Australia's eagles and eagle-hawks are excellent specimens. The shepherds dislike this group since they will fall upon a flock of sheep and kill the lambs. For this they have been poisoned with arsenic.
The native-companion, or the great crane, is a sociable and amusing creature. The crane is approximately four feet high and can wage war against insects. Children most especially need to be careful of the crane's sharp beak. The great crane will make a move toward anything shiny, and may head for the bright eyes of humans who get too close.
For anyone wanting to study the cockatoo in its native habitat requires early rising. If cockatoos are eating in a corn field, a sentry will be placed on guard while the others eat, and it is difficult to anything to get past this sentry. If you would watch them during this eating, you need to be at the eating area before they arrive. It is in this manner that you are able to watch their movements and actions within the natural habitat. Cockatoo's can cause great destruction to some crops.
There are several kinds of cockatoos, including the great black, the red-crested (which is rare in captivity), the sulphur-crested, and the rose-colored. All, however, are noisy.
Source:
1. Editors. The World Book Encyclopedia. World Book-Childcraft International, Inc: Chicago. 1990
Further Study:
Birds Down Under
Outback gallery of pictures of birds living in Australia.
Common Birds of the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Provides taped sounds of birds, and birds who have a home at the National Botanic Gardens.
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