• Beautiful butterfly
• The lonely beggar man
• That rainy day
• Tribute to Philately - Stamp News 36
• Amphibian groups - Nature Watch

Beautiful butterfly

Everyone knows butterflies. In fact there are thousands of kinds of butterflies. They are all pretty.The Butterfly is an insect. It flies from flower to flower and sucks honey. It's a pleasant insect.

Its body is very beautiful. And it is divided into three parts. They are the head, the thorax and the abdomen. On its head it has sensory organs called antennae that helps it to smell and feel to find food and identify other insects. Its chief beauty is its wings, which are of bright colours arranged in pretty patterns.

It has a pair of small eyes and six small legs.

The life story of the butterfly is very strange. Before it dies, the female butterfly lays its eggs on the leaves of a different kind of plant. After some weeks the eggs hatch and small worms with little legs are seen. These small worms are called caterpillars. Then they grow up fast and it go to sleep in a covering that they makes for themselves. It is called a chrysalis or cocoon. After a short time they bursts out of this covering and fly away as a butterfly. But their life is very short.

The Butterfly is an innocent insect. It helps the plants in pollination. And it leads an independent life.

Chathuri Thejani.
Kalutara North

The lonely beggar man

Walking along the streets,
Wearing old worn clothes.
Carrying a small shabby tin,
In his right hand,
Begging from each one who passes by,
With his usual innocent smile,
To get some money
Tolive his daily life.
Just as though they are blind and deaf
Some pass him without any care
He's so disappointed,
Because there isn't enough money.
Chammi Ratnasuriya

Vihara Maha Devi Girls school
Kiribathgoda

That rainy day

It was Sunday. I thought of sleeping till 7'O clock in the morning. Suddenly I heard a big sound and got up. On other days I see the light through the my window, but not this day. I couldn't see anything because it was dark.

I slowly went near the window. The whole area was dark. At once there was thunder and the lightning started. I got frightened and ran to my mother.

It was raining very hard. I heard the cry of cows and birds. The sky was very cloudy and the wind was blowing very hard. The trees were swaying as if they were about to fall.

The gutters were full of water. I made paper boats and put them into the gutter. They floated nicely. I was very happy.

Unfortunately the rain stopped after sometime. I hope there will be another rainy day on a weekend to make me happy.

Thilini Godage
Southlands College Galle

Stamp News 36

Tribute to Philately

By Uncle D.C.R

October is the month of philately. During this month in several countries, philately and philatelists are recognised and promoted.

Shortly after the first postage stamps appeared in the 19th century, collectors began saving them. It is in our nature to gather, study and organise. Stamps appeal to that nature. Their art and technical virtuosity appeal to the aesthetic. Their messages appeal to the intellect.

Philately is one of the most popular hobbies worldwide. The number of stamp collectors is countless. It is open to everyone. There are no age or other barriers. Those with varied interests collect stamps. Its benefits can be enjoyed by everyone. It provides recreation and relaxation. It educates. Stamp collecting has helped to bring together people of different cultures and political and economic systems, helped them communicate and pursue common interests with a better understanding of each other.

While individual collections are being formed, many collectors are sharing their experiences, exhibiting what they have saved.

It was most encouraging to see vast crowds throng to the Colombo Art Gallery last month for the 20th anniversary exhibition of the Philatelic Society of Sri Lanka. Taking a keen interest were students and teachers, a very good sign indeed. Young ones had participated in the several competitions held and the prize-winners well deserved every encouragement. It was satisfying to see so many philatelic societies being active in schools.

Let us hope that the vision of the Society's president, Frederick Mendis seeking the co-operation of members to wean collectors away from the idea of 'philatelic accumulation' and get them to realise that stamp collecting has wider educational, prophylactic and therapeutic use, is fulfilled.

Last year, on 14 October, the United Nations Postal Administration released a set of stamps to pay tribute to philately. UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan himself issued a special message to mark the occasion. It said:

'Stamps are many things at once: artistic objects of great beauty and innovative design; highly effective vehicles for communication about the issues, events and personalities of our times; and rich symbols that remind us of the diversity of life on earth. Thus it is little wonder that stamp collecting, since beginning in the 1800s, has become such a popular pastime. As countries around the world celebrate Stamp Collecting Month, the United Nations whose stamps have contributed to the international character of philately pays tribute to what has become the truly global hobby.'

The UN stamps were adaptations of stamps issued in 1986 on the theme 'Philately the International Hobby.' Originally created by a Swede, Ingalill Axelsson, the new stamps were designed by Robert Stein of the United Nations.

Amphibian groups

M ost amphibians are animals that can live in water and on land and the name amphibian means having two ways of life. Amphibians lay eggs without shells and, in order that the eggs do not dry up, they must be laid in water. The young amphibian hatches out and spends its early life in water like a fish. Then its body may change as it grows until it can leave the water for land. There it stays for the rest of its life, except for the breeding period, when it must return to water or to a very damp place.

Most amphibians are born with gills like those of fish so that they can breathe in water. To live on land they often lose the gills and grow lungs to breathe air. Amphibians can also breathe through the skin, as long as it is kept moist. Oxygen in the air dissolves in moisture on the skin, and passes into the amphibian's bloodstream.

Amphibians are mostly found in tropical regions, where it is warm and wet. They do not like dry places, as they easily lose water from their bodies by evaporation through the skin. However, some manage to live in deserts by hiding in damp burrows during the day. Amphibians do not like cold places either, though they can live in winter by hibernating in ponds or damp holes. No amphibians live in the sea, as the salt would draw out water from the amphibian's body.

The three orders

There are three orders of amphibians: frogs and toads, newts and salamanders, and caecilians.

The largest order is that of frogs and toads. They begin life as fishlike tadpoles. They grow short front legs and long back legs which they jump with and they have no tails when fully grown. Newts and salamanders do not lose their tails as they grow, and their limbs are all the same size. Some keep their gills when they are fully grown. Caecilians, the smallest group, have no legs and look rather like worms.

Eating and being eaten

Tadpoles eat plant food and animal remains which float in water, but adult amphibians eat only live animals. Most hunt small creatures such as insects, worms, slugs and snails, but large amphibians can capture mice, fish and birds as well as other amphibians of their own and other species.

In turn, amphibians are hunted by larger animals, including snakes, herons and birds of prey, large fish, and mammals such as raccoons. The amphibians are not strong enough to fight back.

While frogs and toads may be able to jump out of harm's way, most amphibians cannot flee from danger. Their best defence is camouflage. Many amphibians are coloured green to merge with grass or leaves and some can even change colour. Several have bright colours and do not have to hide because bright colours often indicate to a would-be enemy that an animal is poisonous or unpleasant to eat. In fact, many amphibians have poison glands in their skin. One frog has such a deadly poison that a small cup of it would be enough to kill all the people who live in a city as large as London.

Newts and salamanders

Most newts and salamanders live in the Northern Hemisphere. The giant salamander is the largest of all amphibians, growing to a length of up to 1.5 metres.

Some salamanders never grow up. They stay like new-born salamanders, keeping their gills and small legs. The gills enable them to live in water all the time, and many never emerge to live on dry land.

Caecilians

Caecilians are large amphibians which have no legs and may grow more than a metre long. They live underground in burrows in tropical forests. Many caecilians are blind, and many bear live young.

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