• How animals and birds spend their winter
• Sinhala New year
• Hobbies keep me busy
• Over 21 get the vote
• The common bond

How animals and birds spend their winter

During winter when animals cannot withstand the cold some species of animals migrate to warmer lands. Some species hibernate.

The wild geese and ducks when the ponds freeze fly south from the north. Of the migratory animals the champion migrant is the sten. This bird spends its summer near the north pole and fly all over the earth during winter.

The distance animals travel:

Stem - 11,200 miles
Willow Warbler - 8000 miles
Plover - 7400 miles
Swallow - 5500 miles
Grey Whale - 5000 miles
Flamingo - 3700 miles
Monarch Butterfly - 1800 miles

The Bison in parts of Canada and in the national parks of America migrate to warmer lands in the south in order to find food. Animals smaller than birds also travel very long distances. One of them is the North American Monarch Butterfly. It travels every year from Canada to Mexico.

Some animals, when the search for food becomes difficult during winter hibernate. During this period the hibernating animals undergo physiological changes. The body temperature drops, heartbeat slow down and the necessity for food becomes meagre. These animals go underground or into holes in trees. The dor-mouse and the squirrel make lairs in trees. Insects hibernate under the bark of trees. Field mouse, frogs, snakes and turtles burrow into the ground. During hibernation some animals do not move for months. Some animals store food in the burrows and holes of trees, and wake up to have a good meal.

The polar bear and the arctic fox hide under the snow. The arctic fox stores up food so that he can eat it when he wakes up.

The Badger sleeps in his underground home, but now and again come out to get food. The Hedgehog makes a nest under a pile a dead leaves and goes to a very long sleep. The tortoise sleeps the whole winter in his warm place.

When spring arrives animals wake up from domancy very quickly. The body temperature which was low rise up and they become very active.

Dilini Ramanayake,
A.I.S.

Sinhala New year

It was the month of April. The date was 13th. I got up early and prepared for the day. We did everything according to the auspicious hour. My mother prepared milk rice. She kept sweetmeats in a tray. She served us at the auspicious time. After our meals we had our religious observances and rested.

Rest of the evening we enjoyed the day with our friends and played games. The whole day was a very happy way to start another New Year.

Indika Lakmali Peelawatta,
Hemamali Balika Vidyalaya,
Kand

Hobbies keep me busy

Hobbies are very interesting. A hobby is something which we can indulge in during our leisure. It keeps us busy when we have nothing to do. Especially during the holidays it keeps us occupied and out of mischief. A good bobby gives us not only amusement and pleasure but also imparts knowledge.

There are different kinds of hobbies such as stamp collecting, photography, coin collecting etc. Some of these hobbies can be very expensive. There are other interesting hobbies that may not cost us much. Reading, writing, singing, collecting wild flowers etc., are some of the hobbies that can bring pleasure to rich and poor alike.

I too have several hobbies that keeps me happy, amused an occupied. My most favorite hobbies are singing and dancing.

With these favorite past times before me I have no time to waste. I enjoy singing and dancing very much. When I feel depressed, I have my piano to keep me company. When the rain confines me indoors I'm not bored. I pick up an interesting book and I don't feel the time passing. Now I have a beautiful collection of songs and a set of beautiful stories which I share with my friends. They too enjoy them very much. So, my hobbies not only help me but help my friends too, and I enjoy my hobbies very much.

Ruwani Cooray,
St. Bridget's Convent,
Colombo

Over 21 get the vote

June 1931 was a significant month in the constitutional history of our country. It was in that month that all those over 21 years of age voted in a general election.

When the Donoughmore Commission recommended granting of universal adult suffrage giving everyone above 21 years of age the right to vote, Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was then known) was one of the earliest countries in Asia to adopt this system. It had been introduced in Britain in 1928, they year the Donoughmore Commission report on constitutional reforms in Ceylon was published. The Commission also recommended that the system of communal representation in the legislature be replaced with territorial representation.

The granting of adult suffrage was commemorated in 1981 - the year the golden jubilee of the event was commemorated. Two stamps were issued. The 50 cent stamp had '50' marked prominently along with a ballot box and the national flag. The Rs. 7 stamp had the map of Sri Lanka with a chain of people along the coastline, and a ballot box in the middle.

Although at the first general election under the Donoughmore Constitution (1931-47) held in June 1931 to elect members to the newly set up State Council (it replaced the Legislative Council) everyone over 21 years of age voted, the first time Indian voters above 21 voted was in 1951.

It was also at the 1931 general election that Dr. S. A. Wickremasinghe, a pioneer in the left movement was elected the member for Morawaka and Mr. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was elected member for Veyangoda. This marked their entry into the legislature.

The second general election was in 1936 and by the time the third was held in 1947 (August-September), a new constitution (Soulbury Constitution) providing for full internal self-government was in force.

A further development in the system of universal adult suffrage was the lowering of the age limit from 21 years to 18 from 1960 general election.

Political awareness among the voting population has been a marked feature since the adoption of adult suffrage. That I sway there has been heavy polling at general elections. Since 1952, over 70 per cent of the registered voters used their ballot. The turnout in the July 1977 election rose to a record 86.7%. It dropped to 76.2% in 1994.

Since the granting of adult suffrage, Sri Lankans have had the opportunity of voting at 12 General Elections, two Presidential Elections and a Referendum.

The common bond

The complex relation ship between plants and animals is referred to as an ecosystem. It is largely the climate and the habitat which determines a particular ecosystem.

Within every community there is a complex interaction between plants, animals and other organisms. Plants and animals are dependent upon each other for food. Plants convert energy from the sun into starch and sugar. The plants are eaten by grazing and browsing animals. These animals are then eaten in turn by the meat-eating animals.

Their waste products, and dead animals and plant matter are left behind. This is all broken down first by animals like insects and worms. Fungi and bacteria finally decompose the decaying matter completely into simple raw materials. These, together with minerals from the non-living environment, are used by growing plants.

This cycle is known as the food chain. When plants and animals are part of more than one food chain the complex relationship is called a food web. The food web is the basis of community structure.

Competition

Food wens are made up of plants and animals which compete at different levels.

Plants compete with each other for space which gives them access to sunlight. They also compete for the raw materials like water and minerals they need for growth. Herbivores compete with each other for plants on which they feed. Carnivores compete for the animals they eat.

Community structure

A community is made up of different levels of organization. These include solitary individuals (trees or snails), the immediate family with parents and offspring, and the total populations of each species.

Within most of these levels there is amore or less strict social order. This is maintained by a constant struggle between the members of each group.

Solitary individuals

Plants are not usually considered as living in social groups. However, they are nonetheless very important in the community structure. As solitary individuals, tree provide both food and shelter for other plants and animals.

Some animals like snails and snakes also live solitary lives.

Family groups

Many animals live in family groups. These may be small and include only the parents and their offspring. Larger family groups include several breeding females.

In species that live as families the sexes are always separate. They usually mate only in their breeding season. Species that live in family groups often have a strict social order. This usually involves at least one dominant male and a number of subordinate females.

Mature males usually fight for the dominant position. This makes sure that only the strongest males will mate. They are therefore more likely to have the most offspring.

All individuals of a single species that live within the same community are called a population. Many animals lead more or less solitary lives coming together only during their breeding season.

Keeping together

Some populations stay together most of the time. Many species of birds, hoofed mammals and fish find it a good method of defence against their predators. They usually move around a great deal and therefore are part of a constantly changing community. However, their predators will follow them so that certain elements of their food chains do not change. Several other species have evolved complex social structures. These include insects like bees and ants and mammals like rabbits and man.

Return to Mirror Magazine Contents