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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1952-11-26, Page 25trtnge Creatures That dive 'Down Under" A mere century or two ago kiuropeans used to tbinit of Aus- tralia as a part of the world' 'where everything stood upside' down. Those who landed there found so much to amaze them that its reputation as an Alice - through -the -looking glass world increased. Now a well-known writer and broadcaster on the "oddities" of Australian life has published Unique to Australia, a book that -will add to such legends. Bill Beatty, The author, shows Aus- tralia as a countryfull of aston- ishing paradoxes. Here may be found earth - 'seems more than six feet long, whose groans can be heard from underground; lizards that bark, fly, change colour, and run on tbeir hind legs like their prehis- toric ancestor, the dinosaur; spi- ders that fish with line and bait ler moths, others that live un- der water in a bubble of air like s diving -bell, butterfly fish walk - en with rear fins on the sea teeor, fish that climb trees and have two lamps under their eyes ,to attract their prey, archer fish that shoot insects with a drop of water six feet above the surface, There is the dugong, or sea VOW, with the face of a pig and body like a miniature elephant, uuckling its young by holding them to its breast with fiippers. (The Dugong is supposed to have originated the mermaid myth.) The Tasmanian devil or tiger turns out to be neither devil nor tiger, but a harmless wolf. The Dingo or native wild dog be - 'tomes savage only when crossed 'with the white man's domestica- ted dog. The emu cannot fly, but` will race a galloping horse; the female does the courting, but the scale Tooke after the chicks. Astonishing All the world today knows about the 'platypus, that queer furred creature that is part rep- tile, part bird, part animal, with Its duck's bill, webbed paws, its habit of burrowing to lay soft- abelled eggs like a lizard's, div- ing under the water for food, end suckling its young, but the paradox of all paradoxes is the North American Nymphs—Three beauties from the three North American nations of Canada, Mexico and the United States make up this inspiring pyramid on water skis at Florida's Cypress Gardens. At left is Yankee, Jeanette Burr; on top, Amparo Batan) of Mexico, and at right, Carol Ann Duthie of Toronto, Canada. lesser-known spiny ant -eater. This does something even the the kangaroo cannot — by growing a pouch for its young only when they need it. There are some astonishing birds, like the lyre bird, which mimics any bird or even human sound in the bush, or the tall and solemn brolgas, which performed square dances a million years be- fore hill -billies ever thought of them. There is a great deal about the customs and way of life of the aborigines, the teeming marine life of Queensland's Great Bar- rier Reef, and such strange nat- ural features as the treeless Null- arbor Plain, the immense flyer's Rock rising out of flat desert in Central Australia, and the Great Artesian Basin, which has the world's largest underground stor- age of water. TABLE TALKS The average Canadian family doesn't eat nearly as much honey lis it should. Some of us have it fairly regularly on our tables, but fail to use it in our cooking to the extent they do in other lands. The firm, sweet honey cookies Of Germany— lebkuchen — are perhaps the most famous Christ- mas cookies of a country that can boast many famous Christ- mas cookies. Then there's the celebrated honey cake of Holland, end dozens of other delicacies I haven't the time 'or space to mention. So here are a couple of simple recipes that make use of this 'very fine food most delightfully. Give them both a trial. I'm cer- tain you'll be glad you did, HONEY CREAM CHEESE FILLING (For layer cake; also may be used as a dessert sauce) 4 three -ounce cake cream cheese Dash salt 2 tablespoons mild -flavored honey Vanilla, orange or lemon extract Cream the cheese with the salt and honey. Flavor as desired. Yield: enough to fill an eight -inch layer cake. d 4 4 HONEY FROSTING (Also may be used as a pudding sauce) 1 cup mild -flavored honey 1 beaten egg white 1 teaspoon vanilla. Boit the honey to 240 degrees F. (stage when a drop in cold water forms a firm ball). Add it in a fine stream to the egg white. Whip till stiff and add vanilla. This frosting is marshmallow-Iike and remains spreadable for hours. Yfeld: enough for tops and sides of two eight -inch layer cakes. "'Way Down East" in the United States they call this an "Election Cake." It was, and still is—if skilfully made—a round, rich raised loaf, with a delicious buttery taste. In the early days it took more ar - _ -----;;;;;;;;;70-14-4:1: —;;; l ;;;; SON ,'TES ------- -. t t ! ..�.1 NE* EAPNINGS BEFORE INCO4R IF, ,ri40N< or 9,9,I051 Ra to -- 919 1.410 , ,4.N1 J 1040 Oil (311A1155 PUNIC r01151 (55P543 — 91.91{99, 919.9991 9.9-99°e000.aa,..ore otepw goat vs. West -1n Canada—The charts shown above were used as exhibits by the Canadian Pacilc Railway at recent hearings before the Bard of Transport Commissioners at Ottawa to refute argu- ments that the burden of freight rates is borne largely by the western provinces. The first chart for gross' ton miles shows that the railway's service in western Canadaissubstantially greater that that in eastern Canada. The second shows that average revenue per ton mile is much greater in eastern Canada and that the dierence has been increasing since 1946. The third chart shows that the net earnings of the company, before income tax, once higher in western Canada than in eastern Cdnado, have been lower since mid -1948 despite the fact that two-thirds of the C,P.R. mileage is in the west. 1 rr 10 1, AO — ,R MERRY MENAGERIE "He takes king-size eat naps' Twelve hours each!" than a day to make. The fruit had to be prepared and the -dough allowed to rise. But commercial- ly prepared yeast works a lot faster than the old, homemade sort, and nowadays the risen dough is ready for the oven in just a few hours. And so, even if we in Canada don't happen to have an elec- tion looming close—or have we? —I'm going to give you the recipe. Election or no election. it's well worth giving a trial. 4 * 4 ELECTION CAKE 1 yeast cake ei cup lukewarm water 2 cups milk, scalded 1 teaspoon salt 6 cups sifted flour 2 cups raisins, chopped l cup sliced citron ee cup butter (at room temperature) 2 cups brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon s.$ teaspoon nutmeg 3 large eggs or four medium eggs Molasses. (1) Sprinkle yeast on luke- warm water. (2) Cool milk to lukewarm and add salt and softened yeast. (3) Add a third -cup of the flour to the chopped raisins and sliced citron. Mix well. (4) Add yeast mixture to re- maining flour and beat with a wooden spoon till well blended and "stringy." Set in a warm place (80 to 90 degrees F.) to rise till double in bulk. Setting the pan of dough in water of 90 to 100 degrees F. in temperature helps to give rapid rising --forty- five to sixty minutes. (5) While dough is rising, cream butter, add sugar gradually and cream till fluffy. Add rinnamon. and nutmeg. (0) Add eggs one ::t a time and mix thoroughly. (7) Add creamed mixture to dough and. beat till no spots of white dough show. Add raisins and citron and mix. (8) Let dough rise till double in bulls (thirty to forty minutes). s9) Cut down r'ouph and stir till smooth. 1)01 Turn into three one -quart round pans or casseroles, well greased, and let rise till dough reaches tops of pans• (forty-five to sixty minutes). ( 11) Bake on )ower shelf of a moderate oven (350 degrees F.) thirty minutes, lower tempera- ture to slow (325 degrees F.) and continue baking thirty to thir- ty-five minutes longer. If tops brown too fast, cover, after first thirty minutes with aluminum foil. Glaze when done with molasses, return to oven for five minutes to set glaze. Yield: twenty-four servings. FISHING TII' Nylon loaders are sometimes bard to straighten nut. Thi^, ca. he accomplished easily by draw- ing them through a piece of rubber. A hoot:: trap will serve the p(11 (1 wr 11 What would e f. imply iiNee n } eve given it hart' 1 noun this when • nylon !coders were firs! intfodcieed 1 Greatest Magician Of All Time 'Conjurers and magicians are more plentiful in Great Britain to -day than they have been singe Medieval times. There are now thirty-twe societies of amateur magicians, with members in every part of Great Britain, and each year a great Convention of Magieians assembles in London or a provincial city on a date as near as possible to Hallowe'en, traditional time of witchery and magic. Every practitioner of hocus- poeus attending this convention likes to think that Robert Hems din, king of the conjurers and founder of the modern technique of magic and imposture, is pres- ent in the spirit, hovering over each performer and nodding ghostly approval. Soothsayers For though Houdin flourished during the middle of the last century, his fame is still as wide to -day among magicians as it was when the French Govern- ment engaged him to impress the people of Algeria and destroy the prestige of the local sooth- sayers and so - called miracle workers who held great power over the populace. One of their claims was that through pronouncing certain ma- gic words they could render themselves invulnerable to gun- shots. An Arab wizarc' would or- der 'a loaded musket to be fired at him alter he had pronounced a few magic words. The trigger would be pressed, but the mus- ket would not go off. Houdin easily detected this trick, and" demonstrated to the audience that the touch -hale was plugged. The .Arab wizard was furious and threatened to 3d)) the Frenchman. "You may revenge yourself," replied Houdin. "Take a pistol. Load it yourself. Here are the bullets. Put one in the barrel, but before doing so mark it with your knife,' The Arab did as he was told. "You are quite certain now," said Houdin, "that the pistol is loaded and will go off? Tell me, don't you feel any remorse in killing me, in spite of the fact that I have authorized you to do so?" "You are my enemy," replied the Arab, "and I intend to kill you." Without replying, Houdin stuck an apple on the point of a knife.. ';Go en, shoot me!" he said. The pistol was discharged, the ap- ple flew far away, and there ap- peered in its place, stuck on the point of the knife, the bullet the Arab had marked.. The specta- tors marvelled The Arab bowed low before his superior. "Allah is great!" ,he said. "I am the conquered." The Evil One Instead of the bottle from which, in Europe, Hnudin pour- , ed an endless stream of every 1 description of wine and other beverages, he called fur an empty bowl which he kept permanent- ly full of boiling coffee. Few of the Arabs would taste this, how- ever. They were corvinced that the coffee came straight from the coffee pot of the Evil One him- self! He then told' them that it was within his power to deprive them of all' strength and restore it to them at will To prove it he produced a small box, so light that a child could tiff it with his fingers, but if suddenly became so heavy that the strongest man present could not raise it. The Arabs, who prized physi- cal strength above everything, looked with terror a' the great magician, who, they began to be- lieve, could annihilate them by merely exerting his will. They expressed this belief, and Houdin blandlyconfirmed that it was cor- , rect, and promiaed'that, on a day i appointed, he would convert one of them into smoke 1 The day came, and the throng was the greatest ever to be seen j at an outdoor entertainment. A i fanatical Arab conjurer had ag- reed to give himself up to the sorcerer on condition that Hou - din would kiss the ground at the Arab's feet if the Frenchman failed to make him disappear. He was made to eland on a table and Hcudin covered him with transparent gauze. Then he and an accomplice lifted the table by its twc, ends and the Arab disappeared in a cloud of smoke: Pani. gripper. the audience, They ran helter-skelter from the stage. tend it was at. hour before some of the boldest thought of returning to collect the Arab Conjurer's ashes—if any. They were astenishe't to fi,sd him sit- ting on the ground near the place where he had been evaporated, but the could V11 them nothing, and was totally ignorant. of how the disappearing trick had beefs n performed. I"rom then nn floudin was van - crated throng:lout Algeria, and the power of the Arai, magician(( was broken. Still 'slys(crles In trchsuque the famous lfoe- ( din far surpassed previous eon- jurers and illusionists, and the books he published towards the end of his career revealed so much that other •canjurers their utmost to restrict their cir- culation. lie discarded completely the clumsy contraptions which he called "of the false - bottom echoed," the gaudy apparatus,. draped tables and other suspi- eioLs-provolti'.g furniture indis- pensable to his predecessors, 1n stead, lie took full advantage of the resources of science, and es- pecially of electro - magnetism, which was then in its, infinity. Robert Houdin, who died in 1871, is often confused with Hen- zy Houdini -(1873-1926), the fa - mouse' American escapologist who travelled the world giving displays of escaping from almost anything that can bold A man. But even Houdini recognized Houdin as "the master," and some of his feats are 'mysteries even to this day. KTE2' TOO1*S FROM RATTLING The best way to keep tools from rattling around the luggage compartment of, the car is to fashion -a rubber kit having a separate pocket for each tool, One can snake it out of an old inner tube, sewing one piece onto another to form the pockets. When the tools are placed the tube is tied in a roll and there'll be no more rattling. Thousands Axe In Battle For Honey Sp01 of a strange battle be - r ttveen insects comes to us from Nyorf, Kenya, where bees invaded the inner and outer walls of an old house and established a thriving hive. One cissy recent- ly a large number .of ants "on safari' arrived and invaded the hive, hungry for the large amount of honey in it. The an- gry bees joined battle with the ants at dusk, and as the ants sent reinforcements the bees cane out to 'meet them, All night long the battle raged, while the worried owner of the house, wearing a gas mask to protect his face, watched and listened, At times the grass was brute with insects as the two sides struggled for supremacy. The house owner thought at first that the ants would win, )tut he was wrong, When daylight came the lawns were littered with the bodies of hundreds of thou- sands of ants, .If any had es- caped alive, they had vanished, And the victorious bees were back in their hive with their honey safe. REAL REL1C Then there was the man who had a car so old that he asked the License Department for both upper and lower plates this year! rezesiese Highball 1— Charles Fleischer, 2, is having the time of his young life being chief engineer of the model railroad system on dis- play In a deportment store. Toy department officials, wise in the ways of boys of all ages, have designed the display so that vis- itors can operate all the trains. Coronation Preview England Prepares For Its Most Splendid Ceremony 50,000 Silkworms Spun the Yarn for 'Queen's Purple' Robe for Elizabeth By ROSETTE HARGROVE, NEA Staff Correspondent London—Thousands of people in England already are busy pre- paring for what will be recorded next June in their eountry's his- tory as the most splendid cor- (mation of all times. The crowning of a soverign is always a sensational event. But this time every man, woman and child in Britain is taking a deep- felt, affectionate interest in it because the Queen is a young woman whom they have follow- ed since her birth and the first Queen to be crowned since Vic- toria. Elizabeth II is beloved of her people because she has convinc- ed them that she is not only beautiful but courageous and deeply conscious of her duties, in spite of her youth. Further- more, she is the daughter of a soverign who died at his task, the wife of a prince charming and the mother of two beautiful. children, The robes of state which the Queen will wear when she is crowned on June 2 will be the most fabulous yet seen , in West- minster Abbey: Fifty thousand, silkworms have provided the yarn for the , 20 yards of the richest silk vel- vet known as the "Queen's Pur- ple" which will fashion her trail- ing robe and the satin for the gown she will wear beneath it. Both will be all -British and both will be encrusted with the most gorgeous embroidery ever executed by the Royal School of Needlework and representing the Royal Lisignia. 4 4 4 The raw silk has bee,,p pro- duced on Zoe, Lady Hart Dyke's silk farm at Lullingstorie in Kent. Started 20 years ago, the farm supplied bolts of silk for the coronation robes of George I VI and the Queen Mother. 1 ' Big worry of middle-aged Miss Lilly Lee, who will soon go to work at the Warner mills at Braintree, Essex, is that "my knife doesn't slip. Her job is hand -weaving the 20 yards of 1 velvet for the Queen's corona- tion robe. So just in case of mis- hap, Mrs. Hilda Calver will weave a duplicate length of 20 yards. Both are skilled crafts- women in the hand -weaving nt silk velvet. The silk has to be looped over 'a slatted wire and cut by hand. The Iwo women cannot produce Command Portrait of Elizabeth 11 by Dorothy Wilding shows her wearing the diamond and pearl tiara worn by queens of Britain since Queen Victoria. Sash and star is the Order of the Garter. Diamond necklace was a wedding present from the Nizam of Hyderabad, the bracelet from her husband. more than 18 inches a day, so it will take three months to com- plete the yardages, A director of the mills says "theirtask will be one of the utmost responsi- bility. The knife has only to slip once and the whole thing is ruined." Nobody knows what style dress the Queen will elect to wear under her purple robes. It must necessarily We a formal evening gown with a deep de- collete to premit of the cere- mony of Anointing and also to set off the magnificent crown jewels she will wear. It is presumed that Royal Dressmaker Norman Hartnell will be entrusted with the mak- ing of the coronation robes. According to the office of the Earl ivlarnhal the Duke of Nor- folk it has as yet not been de- cided; what headdress the Queen wit) wear to the coronation. I1 she follows the example of her father, she would wear a Cap of State of purple velvet edged with ermine. Nine youths of noble birth will be appointed to carry the Queen's train. Four peeresses have to be chosen to hold a pall of cloth of gold over the Queen when she is annolnted with the Holy Oil. This precious oil usually is made in quantities to last several coronations. But the reserve supply was destroyed by bombs during the war and the Queen's chemists have been commanded to make more. It is a fragrant oil distilled from orange flowers, roses, cin- namon, music, jasmine, flowers of 'benzoin, civet and ambergris. The formula dates back to the 17th Century. (Next week: The peeresses and "mock ermine.") Thousand -Year -Old Ceremony at which Elizabeth will be crowned Queen of Britain includes spec- tacular procession from Buckingham Palace td Westminister Abbey and back again, Isere the Iota coronatiort procession, in 1937, passes through Parliament Square.