Thrifty Scissors

Friday, September 6, 2024

The Burrowing Chipmunk

A chipmunk cracks acorns for it's dinner.

The bright little Chipmunk is another burrowing rodent. It is very common near the woods, where it can be seen scampering along through the undergrowth, making the curious, chirping noise from which it gets its name. It is almost defenseless, while its coat is so bright and pretty, just the sort to attract prowling enemies. All the summer long it is busy storing up food in the shape of nuts and haws for the winter. The chipmunk nearly always carries four nuts in its mouth at a time, which, considering the size of the animal, is a huge load. When out looking for food it must leave its shelter, and is thus laid open to attacks from the polecat and hawk. Nevertheless, there is hardly any little animal which, to human eyes, seems so completely happy. It is never seen except it is whisking its tail about in the liveliest manner.

Kids can learn to draw a chipmunk eating an acorn.

The Gorilla is The Largest Ape

The angry gorilla misunderstood in the past.

Below is an account of the first meeting between a French-American zoologist, Paul Du Chaillu, and gorilla. His biography.

''The largest and most formidable of the ape tribe is the Gorilla. The animal is black, with dark gray eyes. For many years the reports of these terrible beasts had reached Europe, giving the impression that it was a myth or legend of the slave-traders. Travelers who returned to Europe brought news of a gigantic race of hairy savages living on the west coast of Africa. Then Paul Du Chaillu, the great explorer, brought home a true account of the huge ape, which evidently some imaginative natives had taken to be a race of men; but even then the truth was doubted. At last Du Chaillu brought home the skin and skeleton of a gorilla. This set all suspicions at rest. The specimen was found to stand nearly six feet high, with shoulders three feet wide, and arms that reached almost to the ground ; but, above all things, stood out the unsurpassed strength of these apes.

In the hunting-ground Dr. Chaillu was surprised to find complete silence over everything. Calling to mind the sayings of the natives, that nothing could live near the gorilla, he found no birds in the forest, and even the noisy tree-frogs were silent. The hunters assured him that these signs meant that the game must be near. After walking in single file through the forest for awhile, they stopped to consult, and noticed that the gun-carrier, who was the last man of the party, was missing. Before any questions could be asked, the man's dead body suddenly fell from the branches far above them. They had passed right under where a gorilla was sitting, and with its hind foot it had gripped up the last man and killed him. This proved to be a favorite trick that the gorilla plays on the natives, who always held that the great ape was more to be feared than the lion.

The gorilla in this instance broke cover with a roar, and made off through the branches with astonishing speed, in spite of its great bulk and weight.

A female and young one were found, and a great battle began. One hunter had his gun snatched from him by the brute, and Du Chaillu was astounded to see it bent and twisted in the creature's hand like a cane. The female showed an immense store of vitality, for after being shot several times she still fought. When at last she could not rise, the young one threw itself upon its mother's breast with a strangely human cry. This baby gorilla was brought to England and caged with a bull terrier, with whom it made great friends ; but in spite of all the care and attention it died.

Another illustration of the enormous strength of the gorilla is the escape of a specimen which had been shipped to England, and placed in the Zoological Gardens. The keeper had closed up for the night, never doubting but that his charge was safe. The next morning he was astonished to find that the extra strong steel-bars of the cage had been wrenched apart, and the occupant was nowhere to be seen. When the news leaked out a panic ensued in the Garden; but the gorilla was found in the tunnel under the roadway. The strong cage that it had been brought in was still handy, and the huge beast was coaxed into it once more.''

We understand the gorilla so much more today because of the detailed accounts of Dian Fossey.

The ''King Of The Prairies''

"King" of the Western Prairies.

The Buffalo, or Bison, has been called the " King of the Prairies," but, alas! it is king no longer. The march of man across the plains has driven the buffalo out of existence. It is a dull and stupid animal, which accounts for allowing itself to be so easily tracked ; but, on the other hand, it has immense strength and great speed. The Indian found that the buffalo supplied him with almost everything he needed : hide, wool, fat, and meat. Armed only with a bow and arrow, he killed but few of the vast herds which roamed the plains north of the Platte River. Then came the white man with the rifle, and the result is that the buffalo has vanished. Not a single wild specimen lives today. In a few shows, notably Buffalo Bill's, in private collections both in this country and in England, and in the Yellowstone Park, the buffalo still lives, guarded jealously from harm. Thirty years ago it was a common sight to see countless thousands of these mighty creatures together. The huge collection of skulls and bones testify to what their numbers must have been. Many methods were used to kill the buffalo wholesale, and one was to take advantage of the large ravines through which the western rivers run. The herds were surrounded on three sides, leaving the only avenue of escape over the precipice. At a given signal, all the men would rush in, yelling and waving hats. The herd would promptly rush off. As soon as the leaders reached the edge of the precipice, they would try to back away, but the numbers behind would force them on, and thus it was an easy matter to wipe out a whole herd.
The white man usually hunted the buffalo from horseback. This method is much more successful. It takes pluck to enter a herd and separate a member and shoot it down while going at full speed. In spite of its timid nature, the buffalo is a terrible foe when brought to bay.

The Story of A Buffalo

Kids can learn to draw an American Buffalo at Thrifty Scissors.

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Fairyland Index

Fairies dance in the moonlight.

In a charming play of Peter Pan , when Peter advances to the footlights and says appealingly, ''Do you believe in fairies?'' grown people as well as children cry, ''Yes! Yes!'' and mean it, too. For the moment they do believe in fairies - the little beings are too beautiful, too delightful not to be real. To children at certain stages of their experience they are the most enticing, the most important inhabitants of the earth. Every flower cup may be a fairy's bedroom; every mushroom is a fairy's dining-table. The gauzy-winged butterflies are the fairies' airships, and very often in the woods and fields of a summer's morning may be seen the rings where their tiny feet have danced all night. True, the most watchful child has never caught a glimpse of one, but almost every child has felt many a time that he might have seen one had he turned about just a little more quickly. As the little girl in the song says:

I know whenever fairies pass,

Because they lightly bend the grass;
I never see them, so I think,
They must go by just when I wink.

Fairies do not like the cold, so they are not to be found in the fields in the winter, but there is one place where they can always be found, and ready indeed are they at all times to come out and play with the delighted children. From between the covers of the favorite fairy tale book they glide, and with a wave of their wands carry the children with them to wonderful countries - that never were on land or sea. There is Cinderella's fairy godmother; she does not look much like a fairy, but what a powerful one she is, with her wand that can turn pumpkins into chariots! And Jack's fairy that he met at the top of the beanstalk; the beautiful lady with the star-tipped wand; what could he ever have done without her advice? Sometimes the fairies in these wonderful tales carry away a child from its wicked selves; sometimes they bear away to their fairy home some man who deserves punishment, and there make his life a burden to him; or they make it possible for a poor little girl who is out tending the goats, and never has enough to eat, to spread for herself each day a fairy table with everything on it that she likes the most. One thing may be depended on, the true fairies are always found assisting the good people, and no one who is cruel or cross or greedy ever need look for any help from them. If the moral of these tales be very obvious, the children do not mind; that is the way, it seems to them, that the world should be managed.

Fairies may be of almost any size or appearance; indeed, they can look like anything they choose, changing between one moment and the next. A favorite device of a fairy who wants to find out about the worthiness or unworthiness of a person is to appear as a poor old woman seeking aid, and then, when she has found out all she wants to know, to throw off her disguise. The Irish, who seem to know the most about fairies, declare that they prefer to appear as tiny men and women, the men in charming attire of: green jacket, red cap and white owl's feather; the little ladies in gauzy gowns and bonnets made of flower petals. Long after children have ceased to believe that there actually are fairies they love to read of their marvelous doings and to satisfy their inborn sense of justice by gloating over the way the fairies always reward the good and punish the evil in the end.

Should Fairy Tales Be Told? There are people who do not believe in telling fairy stories to children, but the weight of opinion is all in the other direction. Educators hold that, besides giving pleasure, such stories perform a real service in stimulating the imagination.

Fairies For Coloring:

Fairies and Fairylands for Crafting:

Short Fairy Stories:

Raggedy Ann and The Fairies' Gift by Johnny Gruelle
The Fairy Queen by 9 year old Margaret Matthews

Classic Fairy Tales:

Cinderella - ''There was once a rich man whose wife lay sick, and when she felt her end drawing near she called to her only daughter to come near her bed, and said...
The Sleeping Beauty - ''In times past there lived a King and Queen, who said to each other every day of their lives, "Would that we had a child!" and yet they had none...

Fairly Good Fairy Tunes for Kids:

''Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo'' from Disney's Cinderella - Also known as ''The Magic Song''
''Let Me Be Your Wings'' from Thumbelina
''Fly to Your Heart'' Tinkerbell Tribute by Disney

Read Aloud About Fairies for Young Students:

Fairy Poems:

September

September by Frank Dempster

Here's lyric for September,
Best of all months to remember;
Month when summer breezes tell
What has happened wood and dell,
Of the joy the year has brought,
And the changes she has wrought.
She has turned the verdure red;
In the blue sky overhead,
She the harvest moon has hung,
Like a silver boat among
Shoals of stars, - bright jewels set
In the earth' blue coronet;
She has brought the orchard's fruit
To repay the robin's flute
Which has gladdened half the year
With a music, liquid clear;
And she makes the meadow grass
Catch the sunbeams as they pass,
Till the autumn's floor is rolled
With a fragrant cloth of gold.

Maggie's Meals

''There was once a little girl whose name was Maggie,'' said daddy, ''and how she did love meals! Now, one evening when Maggie had gone to bed along came a fine looking creature very handsomely dressed.

''Who are you?' asked Maggie.

''I'm the Dream King and I'm going to take you to a party.'

''So Maggie went with the Dream King and they visited such interesting and hospitable people.

''They went to a huge city which seemed to be made of delicious things to eat and which, as soon as people ate from the city, the food grew or was cooked back again!

''It was all very marvelous. And to Maggie's surprise she saw Duke Ice Cream take up a spoon and scoop a huge mouthful right off his very arm. And in another few minutes his arm was as before.

''The Duke told her he liked the cold weather and that he always lived in the coldest part of the city.

''Lady Lettuce was followed everywhere by her pages, the Vinegar and Oil boys. And sometimes she had friends to call on her like the Tomato Twins and the Cucumber Cousins and the Potato Pals. Maggie also met Apple, the queen of all the Pies.

''Maggie had the very best time in the world and when the Dream King told her he must be taking her back Maggie said:

'''And you've not told me I was wrong to enjoy my meals so much.'

'''I gave you a surprise, in not scolding you, eh?' asked the Dream King. 'Well, you're never greedy or selfish and if you like your food I think it is fine. Good-night!'''

A Pumpkin Shaped Crossword for October

Teachers, parents and ministers may download and print this October, pumpkin puzzle for kids!

Fall/Halloween fun crossword for kids.

The American Prairie-Dog

Prairie dogs looking out for each other.

Now we come to a distinctly American animal, the Prairie-dog. These strange creatures live together in vast colonies, or dog-towns, which are generally situated where the soil is soft and sandy. Its name, prairie-dog, comes from two sources : first, because it lives on the prairies, and second, because, when alarmed, it gives a tiny bark like a dog. The dog-towns are often very large and present an odd appearance. Outside the burrow is a mound which has been thrown up in digging. While the prairie-dog is busy burrowing its tunnel and throwing the earth out, another prairie-dog will rush up, fill its paws with earth, and ram it into the hole upon the digger and then scamper off. After awhile, the other prairie-dog comes scratching out of its burrow snorting with anger, goes in search of its enemy, and then there is a fight. Wherever there are prairie-dogs, there are always rattlesnakes and owls. It was thought at one time that the animal, snake, and bird lived peaceably together, but that is not true. The owl and rattlesnake live with the prairie-dog simply because the latter is not strong enough to put them out. They use its burrow, kill its young, and often slay the owner. The prairie-dogs are very cautious. They always have a sentinel on watch, and when it sees anything it does not understand it gives its bark, and the dogs disappear into the burrows. It would seem as if the place was utterly deserted. After awhile the dogs poke their noses out of their holes, and if they think the enemy has gone, they soon come out of hiding once more.

Kids can learn how to draw an American prairie-dogs step-by-step!

The Zebu

        The Zebu was one of the famous sacred animals of India. It was also found in parts of Southern Asia and even in Madagascar, though its true home was in India.
       It is rather a pretty and intelligent animal, about the size of a Jersey cow. It has a hump on its shoulders and short horns. English people who lived in India long ago looked upon the zebu as a great nuisance, but owing to its sacred status, they dared not interfere with it. The zebu was allowed to run wild wherever it pleased. It was quite a common sight to see one of these animals going through the village streets with a comical air of dignity. It would pause to examine anything that would catch its eye or help itself to fruit from a Hindoo vendor's stand, and no one would raise a protest. If it wanted anything it demanded it with a grunt, and if not attended to quickly it was apt to use its horns. Sometimes the zebu fell asleep in a narrow roadway so as to completely block it up, and nothing could pass along until the beast awakes. Therefore the English people disliked the animal, but the Hindoos still held it in awe.
       The zebu is not blessed with a good temper. If it sees any man or woman doing anything that it does not like, or wearing clothes of a red color, it will charge them without warning, and all the natives can do is to fly until they reach a tree or wall upon which they can climb. The Hindoos which crowd the streets will not attempt to turn the zebu from its victims, but simply draw away to one side and let it pass on.

Mamma zebu and her calf.

The Intelligent Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee drinking by stream.

The chimpanzee has the most intelligent face of all the ape tribes, using its lips to show hate, pleasure, or rage. It is not able to stand erect, but moves along resting its hands knuckles down, instead of on the palms. It has been proved that the chimpanzee has one singular habit in common with the orangutan of Sumatra, namely, that of building a sort of hammock-nest. Only the female and young occupy this nest, while the male stations himself on top. Chimpanzees are really ground apes, preferring rocky, broken country to the forest. Their food consists entirely of vegetable matter, and it is impossible to raise any crops near one of their colonies.
       Many travelers have claimed that the chimpanzees carry clubs, and there seems to be no reason to doubt it. They may have copied the natives they have seen, for their imitative ability is well known, but as it has been proved that they cannot stand erect, it is almost impossible for them to use clubs to fight with. They have enormous strength in the arms, but greatest in the hands. A chimpanzee is able easily to' snap a branch that would be far beyond the strength of a couple of men.
       Another curious thing about these apes is that they live in social bands, and at sundown may be heard barking and yelling before they settle down for the night. Though a chimpanzee would not risk a fight alone with a panther or other large animal, yet even an elephant will turn aside rather than face an angry crowd of these apes.     Chimpanzees seldom travel alone, and if one is attacked it raises a shrill cry, and at once all the chimpanzees near by flock to
the rescue. When a band of these apes is engaged in feeding, they set a sentinel to guard, who, on the slightest sign of an alarm, utters a loud cry, which is said to resemble a human being in agony. It is promptly answered by loud barks and yells, which are increased as the alarm spreads. They flock to battle, for they are very ferocious, or else decamp rapidly.
       A fine specimen of a chimpanzee, better known now as the late lamented "Sally," lived for many years at the Zoo, in London, where, from the fact that she was so intensely human, being able to do almost everything but talk, it was very popular.

We know so much more about Chimpanzees because of Jane Goodall:

Connect the dots in numerical order to see ''who'' swings through the trees.

The Sacred Macaque

The Macaques tease a crocodile.

The Macaques are a large family of monkeys that dwell in Asia. They are found all over India and Ceylon, where they are protected as sacred beings. Their name macaque comes from the word macaco, which, on the coast of Guinea, means the same as our English word monkey. They are bright, active, and insolent in the extreme. The natives regard them as sacred, therefore the white man does not dare interfere or beat them off, for fear of raising; the anger of the natives.
These monkeys delight in gathering in large bands, and then seeking out some being to torment. A poor old, sleepy crocodile offers fair sport, and they shout and yell at him. This when the insolent monkeys begin to hurl cocoa-nuts, mud, stones, anything they can lay their hands to, he returns grunting to a quieter part of the river. It has been said that the macaques will hustle dogs away, although a fox-terrier would easily out-match a single macaque.

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

To A Grandmother

To a Grandmother by Bernard Barton

Oh, say not so! A bright old age is thine,
Calm a the gentle light of summer eves,
Ere twilight dim her dusky mantle weaves;
Because to thee is given, in thy decline,
A heart that does not thanklessly repine
At aught of which the hand of God bereaves,
Yet all he sends with gratitude receives.
May such a quiet, thankful close be mine!
And hence thy fireside chair appears to me
A peaceful throne - which thou wert formed to fill;
Thy children ministers who do thy will;
And those grandchildren, sporting round they knee,
Thy little subjects, looking up to thee
As one who claims their fond allegiance still.

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Friday, September 6, 2024

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Wednesday, September 4, 2024