Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1921-09-16

| largest clam. The shells of these hugs
bivalves often weigh 500 pounds, and
the meat alone 20 pounds.
Religiously, New Guinea is mix
ture, just as it is politically. Moham-
mechanism has a slight foothold on
| the west coast, due to the contact OF
the tribes there with the Mohammed-
ans of the islands extending off to-
ward Asia Christian missions are
| located at intervals along the coast
all around the island, but the number
of natives so far ChriStianized Is
small. On some of the tiny islands
lying in the strait between New
Guinea and Australia entire commu-
mites of Christians are to be found.
Throughout most of the huge island,
however paganism is rampant, the ma
tives propitiating supposed evil spirits
and the forces of nature.
Because New Guinea is SO far from
countries with whose size we are IA
miliar, we are likely to consider its eX-
tent rather vague. If the island could
be laid down along our Atlantic coast
we would soon appreciate it's ,vastness.
1t is approximately 1,500 miles long,
and would reach from the southern
| tip of Florida to the nOrthernmost
point on the coast of Maine. It's 400
miles Of width would cover twothirds
| the distance of Bermuda The area of
| the island is close to 100000 square
miles, and it is supposed to have
about 100000 inhabitants,
History of the Island.
New Guinea was discovered more
than half a century before Australia
was first sighted; but while the latter
has come to have a population of
100000 white people, and is the seat
of an important. modern Christian gov
eminent the former is still almost
| the undisputed domain of savagery.
The Dutch laid the first claim to ter
ritory in the island, but confined their
operations to the western end. In
| 1884 the British established protec-
| torate over the southwestern portion
of the country, and the Germans an
nexed the northeastern part the same
year. The three countries agreed on
boundaries in 1885, but their partition
of the land was almost wholly an ac-
| tion on paper. for there had been little
exploration of the interior Each eoun-
| try in the years since has established
few trading and mission posts and
plantations in the coast country and
has set up the skeleton Of govern
ment, whose functioning, however, has
had little effect in the interior.
The British portion of Papua has
had the status of territory OF the
1906, and the recent action of the
League of Nations in placing the for
mer German New Guinea in Australian
hands under mandate gives that COM
monwealth control of a little over half
| of the islands total area.
Strange Animal Life
The animal life of the worlds Zig
gest tropical island, like that of neigh
| boring Australia, is strange and
bizarre in western eyes. In ancient
/ S0ClOSII ages Edpud CIu <AuStioAAo
were connected Apparently for mil
! lions of years they have been sepa-
rated entirely from the rest Of the
world, so that their animal types are
| a survival from the remote past. With
| the exception of the pig, which proba-
| bly, was brought from Asia relatively
| recently all of the mammals OF New
I. -
| Guinea are either marsupiais which
carry their young in pockets, like the
| opossum and the kangaroo, or are
beasts that lay eggs like birds.
What New Guinea lacks in beasts
| of the field 1t makes up in birds OF
| the air As the home of hundreds or
| species of feathered creatures, 1t Is
more favored than many other por-
| lions Of the earths surface. It's dense
tropical forests are alive with them
birds of almost every conceivable size
and shape and of a bewildering COM
bination of colors. Most striking OF
| the many birds that count New Guinea
| their home is the gorgeously col
| ored and beautifully formed Dlrd-oI
paradise. Most interesting is the no
mantle and ingenious bower-Dird,
| which builds pleasure dome" solely