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The Seaforth News, 1959-12-03, Page 6Solve Mystery Of The Koala Sears Although Port dackeon, near Sydney, was discovered and named by Captain Cook, no white men settled there until 1788, when a small colony was founded. Ten years later, a young man from this colony set Off to explore the land behind the port. On this journey he was destined to discover one of Aus- tralia's most delightful animals. Alter travelling some sixty miles he reached the Blue Moun- tains, and here he came across an enchanting sight. Sitting in the trees were great numbers of tiny, bear -like creatures, with large heads, big furry ears, and prominent noses looking like blobs of black rubber stuck in the middle of their rather hu- morous -looking faces. The Aus- tralian natives called them koalas, so to the white settler= they became koala bears. The koala bear has a pouch and is not related to real bears. Its young are born at a very early stage of development, which is completed in the pouch. Even when the well-developed offspring finally emerges after spending several months in the pouch, it still stays with its mother, riding on her back, un- til it is about a year old. A healthy koala bear never, drinks; only a dying specimen has ever been seen to take water. Nor is it capable of sweating; in hot weather it will lick its fur to cool itself. One result of the lack of sweat is that the koala always smells very sweet, its only odour being that of eucalyptus from the leaves on which it feeds. In modern times one of the biggest handicaps to any ani- mal is the possession of a warm and durable fur, and the koala bear has been one of these suf- ferers, For many years koala bears were hunted for their fur, Kill- ing reached a peak after the first world war, when in a per- iod of two years more than 200,000 died, Certainly koala fur is attrac- tive, warm and hard wearing, but you can no longer buy a koala coat. After the little crea- ture had become exterminated from large areas of Australia, the government intervened and banned large-scale exploitation. To -day great care is taken of those that remain. But until quite recently it proved impossible to keep the koala in zoos for any length of time, even in its native Austra- ia. For years the reason for this has been surrounded in mystery, One difficulty was that it will eat only the leaves of eucalyp- tus trees, or gum trees as the Australians can them, which made it useless to attempt to keep them except in places where fresh daily supplies of eucalyptus leaves could be pro- vided. This, however, was not the complete answer, In Australian zoos ample supplies of these laeves were available for the picking, but always the results were the same. A batch of cap- tive koalas would live quite hap- pily, perhaps for as long as nine months, and then within a per- iod of days or weeks they would all die, Post-mortem examinations gave no clue to the cause of death, for there were never any signs of disease. Recently, however, the mys- tery was solved by Ambrose Pratt, president of the Royal Zoological Society of Victoria. He was struck by the fact that death was always sudden, an animal being perfectly fit one day and dead the next. This suggested that death was caused by acute poisoning. He remembered, too, an oc- casion when seventeen koalas were brought to his zoo. Three of them escaped after a short time and took up residence in a eucalyptus tree in the grounds BIG AS AU. TEXAS — A permanent reproduction of the old fort is only part of the bigness of the movie, "The Alamo," now being filmed by John Wayne. The set will become a tourist attraction when the job is done. Laurence Mary ey, right, has ci'hefty part in the script, along with Wayne, left. of the zoo, where they could be kept under observation, The fourteen that remained in captivity all died atter a few months, but those that had es- caped stayed in their tree for three years, Then they were re- captured, only to die a few months later. During their years of freedom, however, Ambrose Pratt saw something that made him think. Up in the tree the three koalas seemed nearly always to choose old tough leaves instead of the juicy young leaves at the tips of the branches. In the zoo koalas were always fed on young leaves in the be- lief that these would be the most nourishing. Could it be that young eucalyptus leaves con- tained a poison that disappeared as they got older? Pratt decided to find out what the botanists could tell him about eucalyptus leaves. He learned that the young leaves of the sugar gum, one of Australia's 200 -old kinds of eucalyptus trees, did, in fact, produce the deadly poisonous prussic acid during a certain period of ther develop- ment. Later, as they grew older, the prussic acid disappered, and they were no longer poisonous. But koalas would eat only the leaves of five kinds of gum trees and the sugar gum was not one of these. Unaware of Pratt's speculation, however, a group of Australian botanists had been carrying out further investiga- tions into the production of prus- sic acid in the leaves of other kinds of eucalyptus trees, and they found that the leaves of most varieties, including those eaten by the koalas, produced prussic acid during their period of development. The answer to the koala mys- tery was now obvious. Left to their own devices, koalas al- ways chose the older harmless leaves, whereas in the zoo they had to eat the poisonous young leaves or starve. Given an adequate supply of old leaves they could now be kept in captivity without fear of sudden death. As zoo animals, though, they must still be main- ly confined to Australia, for only there do their favourite gum trees grow. However, when some koala bears were exported to America a special supply of leaves was sent with them. Most people seeing koala bears for the first time are struck by their resemblance to teddy hears. This is not surprising because the man who made the first teddy bear modelled it on a stuffed specimen of a koala bear, and named it after the famous American President Teddy Rose- velt, who was also a distinguish- ed hunter and naturalist. It is an infallible sign of ad- vancing age: when policemen start to look very young. MOVIE VETERAN DIES — Victor McLag)en, above, left, as he aopeared recently, died in his Newport Beoah, Calif., homer at 72 Ne won an Academy Award le 1935 for his performance in "The Informer," in which he is shown at right. BL�E TALKS What causes food to stick in an electric fry pan? First of all, do not put short- ening or food in the pan before it is properly preheated. (Bacon is an exception to this.) Second, avoid too high heat; you may be able to fry at 25' F. less heat than the recipe says. Third, be sure you use enough shortening2 to 3 tablespoons for frying, except when baking griddle cakes, which have short- ening in the batter: And last, when you wash the fry pan, be sure to rinse thoroughly with hot water; if detergent sudsremain on the pan, they will cause stick- ing. There are many combinations of canned soups that you will want to try thisfall and winter. Here are only a few of the many possibilities: One can each, cream of celery and beef with twocans of water to make beef - celery soup; one -can each, green pea and Scotch broth to make Highland pea soup; one can each, cream of mushroom, cream of asparagus, and cream of chicken soups and 2 cans of milk to make cream buffet supper soup; one can each, cream of celery and chicken noodle soup • and two cans of milk to make celery - chicken -noodle soup. 4 a * If bean soup happens to be a favorite in your family, here is an easy way to make it. Dry peas may be used instead of beans, if you desire. DRY BEAN OR PEA SOUP fti cup dry beans or peas Pk quarts cold water Ham bone 1 small onion, chopped Pew stalks of celery or celery leaves 1 tablespoon flour Salt and pepper to taste Cover beans or peas with. half the water; boil gently for 2.min- utes and let stand 1 hour. Add rest of water, ham bone, anion and celery. Simmer until beans or peas are tender. Remove bone. Put soup through sieve or food press. Cut meat frem bone and add to soup. Stir in flour mixed with a little cold water, Cook soup until thickened and hot. Season with salt and pepper. r You'll like this potato soup that can be made in a short time, QUICK POTATO SOUP 11/2 cups cubed potatoes 1 tablespoon chopped onion 1 tablespoon butter Ver. cup boiling water 3 cups of milk s/ teaspoon salt Pepper Cook potatoes, onion and but- ter in the water until potatoes are tender. Add milk, salt and pepper. Heat until almost boil- ing. Serves 4. 4 M i If the man in your house wants to try his hand at soup making, now that his hack -yard barbecuing is at an end, encour- age him to work at making vegetable soup. With crusty rye bread, this soup makes a whole meal, You'll need only a dessert — pie, apple dumplings, cheese or fruit cake, writes Eleanor Richey Johnston in The Chris- tian Science Monitor. Advise him to begin with a knuckle bone sawed to expose the marrow, and round steak cut into 2 -inch chunks, Dip them in flour and brown them in a little suet melted in a deep kettle. The meat must be browned without burning the edges, When this Is accomplished, he can add e can of beef bouillon and an equal amount of water, Simmer 1 hour. Now it's time for him to add vegetables — and let him select his favorites. They must be peeled and out into bite sizes — he'll probably want carrots, cel- ery, onions, and perhaps green peppers or tomatoes or both. Some want a parsnip, some add a bay leaf or a pinch of some favorite herb such as marjoram, fennel, basil, rosemary, or thyme. Add these vegetables to the meat and broth and cook slow- ly to mingle all.the flavors. For the last 30 minutes of cooking, he may want to add po- tatoes, They should be small or cut to that size. When they are added, he will want to taste the broth and add seasonings and then continue tasting until it's exactly right. At serving time, be sure everyone gets a potato and a generous serving of meat, Colorful and festive for spe- cial occasions is: PEPPERMINT CANDY PIE Prepare and bake pastry for a one -crust pie 1•envelope unflavored gelatin Ye cup cold water Y cup crushed peppermint candy (6 to 8 small sticks) 11 cups milk 3 eup sugar 2. egg youglks 3/4 teaspoon salt TA teaspoon red food coloring 1/ft cup whipping cream 2 eggwhites x/4 cup sugar Soften gelatin in cold water. Crush peppermint candy to make '/z cup. Beat egg yolks into a/4 cup sugar; combine with milk in saucepan. Cook over boiling water or low heat, stirring con- stantly until mixture coats a metal spoon. Add salt, food coloring, crushed candy, and dissolved gelatin. Stir until dis- solved. Chill, stirring occasionally un- til thickened and partially set. Fold in cream .which has been whipped very stiff. Beat egg whites until mounds form. Grad- ually add '/a cup sugar and beat until glossy peaks form. Gently fold into peppermint mixture and pour into baked pie shell. Chill until set. Several hours before serving spread with Chocolate Topping. CHOCOLATE TOPPING ] square unsweetened • chocolate 3 tablespoons butter 'Iz cup. Confectioners' sugar (sifted) 1 'unbeaten egg Melt chocolate. Cool. Cream butter and confectioners' sugar in small bowl. And melted chocolate and egg. Beat until well balanced and smooth, TALL STORY The stranger stopped his car to watch an angler on the river bank. The fisherman caught a big pike, but threw it back. The stranger said nothing. The fisher- man then landed a large trout, but threw that back also, Finely, he caught a small perch, and smilingly deposited it in his hag. The stranger was naturally curi- ous. "Say," he called out, "why did. you throw those two big ones back and keep the small one?" T h e fisherman shrugged. "Small frying pan," he replied, OLD FLAME? Questioned by police on e .charge 01 setting fare to her, fa- ther's farmand barn in Eisel- dorf, Germany, Agnes Schwimm- beck tearfully confessed that she Was madly in love with a mem- ber of the local volunteer fire brigade and wanted him to call et the farm. Old Wrecks Welt Under The Sea pieces of eight, gold ingots, fine jewels — all to be had for the searching! That is the sort of tribute that was to go from the New World to Spain more than 300 years ago, and has lain buried in the ocean, caught in the almost impassable reefs that guard the islands of Bermuda. There, only 25 or 30 feet deep, lie more than 100 wrecks, wait., ing for those who can find them, Now, as they are being slowly uncovered, the rich facets of life aboard a far -travelled galleon are coming to light, galleons that bear the mark of Africa, China, Central America, and. Spain. Teddy Tucker, a native Ber- mudian, whose family first came to the colony in 1616, is one of the treasure finders, Stocky, compact, with penetrating blue eyes, Teddy Tucker always has been interested in ships and the sea. He "has never worked on land," his wife says. In 1948, re- turning to Bermuda from sea duty, he started looking for wrecks. "More money has been thrown into the ocean looking for wrecks than has been recovered," Teddy Tucker says, simply because peo- ple do not know what they are looking for, There is little help for the would-be treasure seek- er. "Old charts and accounts of wrecks are, misleading because the judgment of distances was so poor. One wreck described as being three leagues (nine miles) away from shore, was only three miles away. Teddy Tucker had to get all his knowledge from experience, and it is very limit- ed, he modestly explains. Even if you are on tap of a wreck, it is not easily distin- guishable. Usually a pile of bal- last rocks is all that can be seen: sometimes there is somewood around, and if there is a cannon, that is fairly distinguishable. Cannons, however, were one of the first things to be salvaged from a wreck of that period be- cause they were so valuable, were worth a good year's pay, Mr. Tucker estimates. Anchors, worth about half a year's pay, were also quickly salvaged, writes Isabel Ferguson in The Christian Science Monitor. Teddy Tucker has saved two cannons: one from a ship that sank in 1595; the other from the wreck he is at present uncover- ing, thought to be the galleon Vigo, which sank in 1637. The Vigo and the Galgo, a meat supply ship, were part of a 34 -vessel Flotilla of the Indies; under the command of Don Ge- rontmo Gomez de Sandaval, which left Havana bound for Cadiz. In a "most awful storm," so the record says, both ships sank off Bermuda. Pieces of . eight found in the recently discovered wreck were struck at the Potosi. Mint in Peru during the reigns of Phil- ip I, II, and III, These dates indicate that the wreck must have oceured between 1021-44, when the coin dies were changed. in the New World. Further evidence, the style of the ship and of certain weapon. aboard halberds, tor example — helps to establish the date as 1637. Ships leaving Spain for the New World would sail to the Cape Verde Islands, then across to Central America, On the way back, they would pass through the Caribbean and up the North American coast as far as Hat - texas, then follow the Gulf Stream across to Bermuda, There they would stop for water and food (it is thought that pigs were left on the un- inhabited islands as early as 1503) before making the long journey home. There many, of the ships remained, caught by the reefs, Unexpected things are pre- 'served in the ocean. Teddy Tucker has found a resinous paint that is still usable, and a sealed pottery jar of water that, though smelling strong, was still drinkable. Daggers, rapiers, pieces of eight, bottles — thingsmanufac- tured — were all coral encrust- ed, but gold, jewels, natural stone, and unglazed pottery were free. A fine gold chain was pick- ed up, not more than 'five links at a time, and restored to 487 links in all, Teddy Tucker works in con- junction 'with his two brothers- in-law, Robert and Donald Can- ton. They have a 52 -foot boat, and their equipment includes a De- vilbiss compressor and Desco or Scott masks, that are connected by hose directly to the boat. In this way, they could stay under water from seven to eight hours. Usually they average five. Uncovering a wreck is a slow process, hard work, and not all glamour. The last wreck took four years. The present 'one will probably take two at least. Although he knows of many other wrecks in the Bermudian reefs, Teddy Tucker does not leave one that he has started until all is disclosed. "If you did that, you would never know • what was left behind," he says. Is there any part of the work that Teddy Tucker finds tedi- ous? "No, I enjoy it. all," he exclaims. Reports of TV quiz show fakery, probably are welcome to some who couldn't stand the thought of anyone being that smart. ISSUE 48 — 1959 Up-to-date Fashion FOR FORMAL WEAR, an elegant costume in amethyst velvet. Because it's nylon, it's washable and wrinkle resistant. Jewel - worthy neckline flatters the face and draws the eye away from figure problems. Printed Pattern 4698 in Half Sizes 141 to 241/2. Send Fifty Cents for each pattern (stamps cannop be accepted, use postal note for safety), Please print plainly SIZE, STYLE NUMBER, NAME, ADDRESS. Send your order to Anne Adams, Box 1, 123 Eighteenth St., New Toronto, Ont.