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Queensland groivs Canary Seed.



The Coo-ee Bird we call him, though his correct name is Koel, and

that he belongs to the Cuckoo family. He is a black bird and his

wife dresses quietly in grey. These birds go away for part of the

year, but just now round outside Brisbane the male bird is persistent

in his cry. “ Coo-ea! ” he seems to call, and his wife answers

“ Quick ! quick ! quick! ” It is nesting-time, but it is not that

they are in a hurry to build. They do not find pieces of twigs and

leaves, and soft feathers to line little warm nests—not they ! The

male bird also calls “ Warra, warra, warra,” and one often hears

this cry through the night.


As I write there is a picture before me and the sound of a

multitude of bird voices. Dozens of those quaint-looking and

quaint-voiced birds, the Leather-heads, are rioting amidst the

yellow bloom on a tall, silky oak tree. The golden glow on the

tree is beautiful against the sky, but one hardly knows how lovely

these silky oak flowers are until one gathers a spray and looks into

the heart of it. As the flowers mature, little spikes of yellow are

released and stand up, tipped with the palest of green, tiny nobs.

At the base of these spikes there are stripes of red, and here in the

wee cups is the honey. One has only to put one’s finger on

the moisture and taste it to realise what a harvest the birds reap

with their wondrous busy tongues—a harvest of honey. No wonder

there are birds galore, for all the thousands of little cups are filled.

Birds of all sorts which love honey collect there, and they know that

their lives are protected in these grounds, no boy, big or little, being

allowed to hurt or frighten them.



QUEENSLAND GROWS CANARY SEED.


Experimental sowings of canary seed are being made in many

parts of Queensland, as the war has brought about a prospect of

high prices for some years after peace is declared. No Turkish

canary seed is to hand in Australia nowadays. The Australian

market is supplied by Morocco and the Argentine, and the landing

cost is £27 to £28 a ton. Added to this are the duty and other

expenses, totalling £3 a ton. There is also the cost of cleaning and



