July 1966 School Magazine

July, 1966

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

July, 1966

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

GHOSTS T he people's · faces were gaunt, As the ghosts began t o haunt, And the screams rang through the air From the t erri fying scare. Suddenly! A yell! A scream! A shriek! A nd no one dared to speak, For the lgihts were very dim A nd I shook in every limb. The fi rst ray · of morning light Had broken the still, darle night, And, now that it is day, The Ghosts have flown away.

NORTHERN TERRITORY WILD LIFE The Northern Territory is one of the few remaining strong- holds of our unique Australian wildlife. Anywhere from Kath- erine, north to the coastal plains near Darwin, a very wide range of wildlife can be seen in great numbers . Apart from the indigenous species, introduced animals such as the water buffalo and wild pig roam the coastal plains in thousands. Ten miles from Darwin, on the lagoons on Knuckeys Plains, during the day can be seen thousands of magpie geese, various wild ducks, egrets, ibis, herons, plover, dotterels, stilts , spoonbills, cormorants and the jacama or lotus bird whose feet are almost as large as its body enabling it to move freely over lily pads. Even jabixu storks and brolga can be seen in this area at times. Another sanctuary area is Fog Dam beyond Humpty Doo. There are also large numbers of big red-tailed black cockatoos, bright yellow crested cockatoos and corellas, pink and grey galahs, red and green crimson-wings and rosellas. On the plains can be seen the large bustard or plain turkey and the emu. In the open forest are found bower birds which decorate their playgrounds with land snail shells and the large blue-winged kingfisher is also found here. The forests around Darwin abound with wallabies which are rarely seen during the heat of the day but can be found in large numbers near drinking places in the early morning and late afternoon. The same applies to the wallaroo and the smaller grey kangaroo. The large red kangaroo will not be found close to Darwin but farther south in ever-increasing numbers. Another group is the reptiles . Crocodiles are not found in very large numbers close to Darwin, but along the coast and in the rivers and lagoons near the coast there are still plenty of the large estuarine crocodiles which are not seen very often. In the inland streams and lagoons are the freshwater crocodiles which are mainly fish eaters. These crocodiles are very timid and quite harmless. Among these reptiles are the little Moloch who although he has a thorny body is quite harmless, the goanna which grows to about six feet long, the frilled necked lizard. Venomous snakes are not plentiful, the only really deadly snake is the large brown, known locally as the king brown. Most of the local snakes are harmless constrictors , and some beautifully marked pythons can be found. - DIANNE PARKINSON, V IE, Griff ith House.

- BARBARA NOSWORTHY, \IA, Griffith House.

richard

brisbane..

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