The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-17

But who over saw such birds before?
Here" said the Bee, is one that stands
higher than a pony his head Is not larger
than a dogs. yet he has a neck so tail that
he can overlook any horse.
The Bee then lighted boldly on the bird 5
bill. rs he would ON u tree limb, and asked
him to tell what he could do II where
II am" said the bird, "the largest of all
creatures. file had never seen any larger.l
l can outrun any horse. and have often
done II. and II / am attacked one KICK OF
my foot tears my enemy to pieces. My
home used to be a great plain, where the
sand was deep and soft; there were many
of us aud we ran races over the land.
And what did you eat-honey or-or
wasps?' asked the Bee. mischievously,
'sAVhnt Is a Wasp asked the bird. mo.
I eat the green leaves and grass, ana l
also am fond of pebbles and shells
The Wasp. who felt very small indeed,
stared from both his big eyes at this.
Here was a bird that ate stones, ontran a
horse and had never heard of a wasp!
Near by. in IN adjoining cell. eontln-
ued the Guiding Bee, lis a bird without
Wings "That l don't believe-tt's abb
surd!" declared the Wasp. Yet there II
was, a small bird. the size of a chicken,
wings and a long, curved bill, the TIP or
which moved like The end of the wasp's
tongue.
the Wasp two other wonders-one a bird
nearly as tall as a horse, which had In
stead of feathers long black hairlike plum
age. On its head was a helmet of bone,
with which 1t could drive in a stout bush
and thus pass through unframed. Its outer
toe had a great toenail like the horn of a
young bull, with which 1t could kick a
hole in an iron pail or kill a horse. Another
bird, that was as large as a good sized
dog, sat on a perch. This fierce monster
had a white ruff Of down about its neck,
n terrible, curved beak, a pair of short.
49, - a l.-. ,I@-ta 49, N NntR -
wings that, stretched out, would measure
the length of a tall man, or even longer
The Bee asked this bird how 1t lived, and
where.
those clouds in the sky. My nest was as
large as this cage, made of the branches
of trees, and from 1t | could see the whole
world. Trees below looked like grass, and
1t never rained, because l was above the
clouds. My food was rabbits, young goats
and even''-the bird went on, glazing
about cautiously-''even young. giants. 1
al kill a wildcat or a wolf with one
stroke of my claws and beak."
The Wasp now wished to go home; he
had very little vanity left; but the Bee
said there were monsters to see, beside
which these were mere honey beees and
wasps.
well" retorted the Wasp, I'VE can
~sting-perhaps we could even kill that
great bird If we were to attack ii in num-
bers." But he felt very humble.
Thu next nest visited was one nearly all
built Of glass. In here were, first of all,
seen pond turtles, but had never seen
turtles as huge as these. One of these
would have been taken for a large boulder
If he had not moved. He was as long as
fifty wasps and q hundred honey bees fly
Ing in a line: Talking to this turtle, the
Wasp learned that he could walk about
comfortably with two giants on his back.
or through a tin basin, and that he was
so old 1t would take two thousand wasps'
lives, end to end, each life being sixty
sunsets long, to span his age.
He lived as long as seven giants lives,
and he ate nothing but vegetables and
fruit. Finally this astonishing tortoise de-
clared that the land he lived in was so
small he could walk across it while the
sun rose and set twice, and that 1t was
entirely surrounded by water.
How, then" ventured the Wasp. could
you get here If there is water all about
THAT" remarked the Turtle. 'is simple.
l was brought by the giants In a floating
nest"
In a glass box not far off was a piece
of dead tree, surrounded by a vast, mo-
tionless body, which the Wasp thought
was a very brightly colored grapevine. 1t
was not, for presently, as the Bee buzzed
before 1t, 1t moved. 1t was a snake. The
Wasp had seen snakes large enough TO
capture and swallow squirrels, but this
marvellous snake was nearly as thick
through az a small cedar tree, And when
the creature uncoiled itself It proved to
be as long as a cedar tree is tall. Its
eve were larger than ten bees standing
with their heads together, and its tongue
was divided in two at the end and as long
as the creatures head. TIL Wasp learned
that the snake could fold itself about a
man, a pony and a calf and crush it to
death. 1t could choke a horse, a COW or a
fierce bull, and for its food 1t enjoyed a
dog or a cat or a few rabbits swallowed
whole.
In another part of this new and strange
land the Bee showed the Wasp a pure
Wasp buzzed UP angrily: you call that
chicken a wonder. Why, it has not even
SPURS
mo" hummed the Bee. 'but II is a
marvel, for it lives in a land without trees,
bushes or noWers, where il is always SO
cold that the snow is forty times as deen
as we ever saw the grass and where the
giants burrow under it to keep warm.
This bird lives there in comfort, for its
feet. body. neck, and bin are covered
by thick feathers. A deep ruff of feathers
is upon each leg. a collar of feathers also
about its neck
The Wasp about this time felt so very
foolish that he refused to see more won
ders that day. So he and tine kindly Bee
returned homeward.
The wonderful creatures which the WasT
saw are on exhibition in any Geological
Park. as n rule, and are as follows:
The Elephant. Of Africa.
The Ostrich. Of Africa.
The Apteryx. of New Zealand.
The CassowarY, of Ceram. East Indies.
The Condor. OF South America.
The Giant Tortoise, Of Galapagos Islands
The Boa Constructor, of Brazil.
The Ptormigan, or Arctic Pheasant
New York Herald.