Photograph by B. W. Kilburn 



the; pet kangaroo and his trainer: Australia (see page 497) 



Many circuses have boxing kangaroos. In nature, the kangaroo, when attacked and a 

 line of retreat is not open, usually backs up against a tree and defends itself with its fore 

 feet. Trainers turn this method of defense to their advantage by putting boxing-gloves on 

 the kangaroo's fore feet, and then training him in the manly art of self-defense; and the 

 boxer who can break through a kangaroo's guard is a good one. 



miles of sea now separating- that continent 

 from Australia were crossed by a bridge 

 of land. 



The lover of insects finds Australia an 

 interesting and but partially explored 

 field. Spiders, butterflies, beetles, moths, 

 wasps, bees, cicadae, are abundant, widely- 

 distributed, and include many forms of 

 great beauty and unusual habit. Some of 

 them are unique. The number of bush 

 flies which occur in summer is incredible. 

 In the arid regions it is impossible to eat 

 with even a semblance of comfort be- 

 tween sunrise and sunset, and traveling 

 without the protection of a head-net is 

 possible only for the skin-hardened bush- 

 man. 



Of the neuroptera, the best-known and 

 best-hated species is the white ant — a 

 termite of unusual destructive ability. He 

 flourishes in deserts, in woods, and makes 

 his way into city buildings. Supports of 

 houses must be protected by caps of iron, 

 for few timbers are immune from his 



attack. If printed accounts are to be be- 

 lieved, lead boxes and pipes are not 

 beyond the range of his voracious appe- 

 tite. The mounds built by the white ants 

 are odd-looking structures, firm as soft 

 wood and of various shapes. Mounds like 

 miniature haystacks scattered through 

 the woodlands or as thickly set as trees in 

 a forest are familiar sights in parts of the 

 continent. Shaft-like nests resembling de- 

 cayed stumps attain heights of 6 to 10 

 feet (see page 505). 



A LAND OE BEAUTIFUL BIRDS 



Australia is stocked with beautiful 

 birds, many of them of unusual aspect. 

 The man who originated the popular say- 

 ing that "Australian birds have plumage, 

 but no song," must have lived in a sound- 

 proof box. Among the 775 species are 

 included some of the most brilliantly col- 

 ored, sweetest voiced, and most unusual 

 birds in the world. 



Along: the northeast coast is the bower 



504 



