Over in the Meadow

Fri, 30 Mar 2001 13:19:14 +0000

Over in the meadow,
In the sand, in the sun,
Lived an old mother toad
And her little toadie one.

“Wink,” said the mother;
“I wink,” said the one;
So she winked and blinked
In the sand, in the sun.

Over in the meadow,
Where the stream runs blue,
Lived an old mother fish
And her little fishes two.

Over in the Meadow [Illustration by Anup Singh]

“Swim,” said the mother;
“We swim,” said the two;
So they swam and they leaped
Where the stream runs blue.

Why does a Kentish Plover Parent Desert its Family?

Wed, 27 Feb 2002 19:03:49 +0000

When couples exchange vows on the marriage day, they generally say ’till death do us part’. For a species of shore-dwelling bird called the Kentish Plover, it is ’till divorce do us part'.

Indeed, birds of this species usually leave their partners after the incubation (hatching) of the eggs and usually it is the female who moves on, while the male stays on to look after the babies. A recent study conducted by Andras Kosztolanyi of the University of Debrecen, in Hungary, sheds light on the reason behind this behaviour.

Animal Families on Pitara Kids Network

Over in the Meadow

Why does a Kentish Plover Parent Desert its Family?