WILD LIFE
VOCABULARY
  Where do the Animals live?
Fill in the table.
Look and spell the animal words!
Can you spell the names of the animals? Look at the example:
 Wordsearch
Can you find 12 words in the wordsearch? The words go horizontally, vertically and diagonally!
 crocodile
desert
jungle
lion
mountains
ocean
polar bear
river
snake
whale
wolf
world
 Key:
SPEAKING
Animal Survey
 I. Ask your friends whether they can act or sound like the following animals.
I can _____________________________________________
II. Learn the words which name the actions of the animals.
Safari Park
Talk about the picture. Use the words in the box.
 
 The Incident at the Lake
Tell the story.
READING
 Ireland’s Fowl
I. Read the text. Consult the dictionary about unknown words.
 Many species of birds can be found throughout the Dingle Peninsula, owing mainly to the wide variety of habitats here: exposed high island cliffs, open bays, great sand systems, salt marshes, open mountains, heath and blanket-bog covered mountains with fast-running streams and acid glacial lakes, rich fen and lagoons. The Norman-type hedgerows provide a more intimate habitat for Passerines.
The major focus of birding interest in the area are the Seabird colonies, both of cliff and flat islands. The high islands and cliffs – the Blasket Islands, the Skelligs, Puffin Island – have major pelagic seabird colonies, including the main world population of the European Storm Petrel. Inishtooskert in particular has a very significant Auk colony.
The low lying island of Beganish in the Blasket Islands and the Maharees Islands are unusual in that they are important in having both wintering and breeding species of great interest. In the winter these islands hold significant numbers of Barnacle Geese from the Nearctic. Most of Ireland’s wild fowl come from the Nearctic. In the summer these same islands are important breeding ground for Terns, and some years have all five species of Ireland’s breeding Terns.
 Along the cliffs of Dingle Bay can be seen the extremely pelagic Arctic bird the Fulmer and the very sedentary land-based bird the Chough, generally sharing the same breeding sites. The Fulmer first began breeding here about 1911, after the great southward expansion of the Icelandic population. James Fisher, a great authority on birds who died several decades ago, believed that it was from this area that the species colonized the rest of Ireland.
The Chough lives in the Alps and the Pyrenees. It is now extinct in England, although there’s a small population in Wales and on two Scottish islands. The Chough’s main world population can be found on the cliffs of the West Coast of Ireland. In particular the densest breeding population is around Dingle Bay, and exemplifies the nature of the area in that they require natural undisturbed grassland, which is short grazed and can support the invertebrates on which the Chough feeds.
All around the cliffs and in the harbours are found Cormorants and Shags. A particularly exciting bird for English birdwatchers is the Black Guillemot, as this is very far south for them. They can easily be seen from the piers along the Dingle waterfront. In the winter the harbours regularly hold Glaucous and Iceland Gulls.
 In trips around the islands the most exciting birds are Puffins which are predated by Great Blackbacks. The breeding Manx Shearwaters can be seen around these same islands. On passage great rafts of Sooty Shearwaters and occasional Great Shearwaters can also be sighted. The best site for observing Great Shearwaters in autumnal passage is Brandon Point. It’s the most consistent such site in Europe. The Great Shearwater breeds only on Tristan Da Cunha in the South Atlantic.
Especially rewarding sites for birdwatching are the saltmarshes and mudflats of Inch and the fresh water lagoon of Lough Gill near Castlegregory. They hold large populations of waders and wild fowl. Lough Gill is particularly famous for its wintering population of the Gadwall Duck, and Whooper and Bewick Swans. In the open surf zones of the great beaches can be seen wintering Scoters. Tralee Bay and Castlemaine Harbour also hold a major population of Pale-bellied Brent Geese.
 A small, surprising hot spot, very different from what one thinks of as typical of the Dingle Peninsula, is Burnham Lagoon in Dingle Harbour. Its unusual range of habitats attracts rarities such as Little Egrets, Ospreys, Goosanders, and Little Grebes. Burnham Lagoon now has a Heronry since the collapse of the cliff heronry on Dingle Bay.
The heather-clad hills still hold very small populations of Grouse. The Irish Dipper can be seen feeding under water in streams, as well as Kingfishers. Very rarely on the eastern hills a Nightjar will make an appearance.
In the 19th century the islands, cliffs and mountains of the Dingle Peninsula once held Sea Eagles and Golden Eagles, and there is a possibility of their recovering; the sea eagle and osprey can indeed occasionally be sighted. The Perigrene Falcoln has fully recovered and is now regularly sighted here. The Merlin still has a hold on the Peninsula in small numbers, though it is less visible. Kestrals, however, are frequently seen throughout the area.
 The lowland boglands hold the easily-observed species of Snipe and Gurlew.
For American visitors, some of the Dingle Peninsula’s most common birds will be the most interesting. The singing of the Skylark, which has inspired so many Irish and English poets, can be heard over open meadows and fields during its breeding time, in the spring and early summer. Our Robin bears slim resemblance to its American counterpart, and can be heard singing throughout the year. The striking black and white Magpie is a member of the crow family, and arrived in Ireland during the 16th–17th century. It’s not a particularly well liked bird in Ireland owing to its bold attacks on the nests of Robins and other garden birds.
II. Tell a story about the nature of the Dingle Peninsula.
The Raccoon and the Great Flea
I. Read the tale.
The raccoon sat down under a tree and let out a deep cry.
“Sad, sad, sad!” he cried. “I am so, so sad. I am unhappy with myself. I would like to be a great, big animal! Big animals have all the fun. They play and have a good time. But not me. I do not have a good time at all. I want to be something new and big!”
“What would you like to be?” said a flea, as he sat down next to the raccoon.
“A bear,” said the raccoon. “A bear is a great animal. It is big and soft. It has long white teeth. It can stand up tall as a tree.”
“You can be a bear,” said the flea.
“How?” cried the raccoon. “How could I be a bear?”
“I know a way,” said the flea. “Look at what I do. Then do it after me.”
 The flea said, “One, two, three,” and then made a jump backwards. The raccoon said, “One, two, three.” Then he made a jump backwards, too. The flea called out, “Make me a bear!” The raccoon called it, too. Then the raccoon looked at the flea.
“It did not work,” he said. “You look like the flea you were.”
“It did not work for me,” said the flea. “But it did work for you. See! You are a bear from top to toe.”
What the flea said was true. The raccoon was now a big, brown bear.
“Thank you, Flea,” said the raccoon that was now a bear.
“Do not thank me,” said the flea. “Be a bear for a time. See how you like it. Then you can thank me.” With that, the flea went away.
The raccoon that was now a bear looked all about. “I will find a friend to play with,” he said. He ran over to the rabbits.
“How do you do,” he said.
“Look out!” cried the rabbits. “It is a big, big bear. We have to get out of here!”
“Come back, rabbits! Come back!” called the raccoon that was now a bear. “All I want to do is play with you.”
But the rabbits would not stop. “You are too big,” they called. “We do not want to play with you!” They ran away as fast as they could.
The raccoon that was now a bear went back and sat under his tree.
“Flea, Flea,” he cried. “Where are you? It is not good for me to be a big bear. Small animals run away from me. They do not want to play. I want to try something new. Could I be a small, small animal – like a snail? Or, how about a toad? Yes, I think a toad is what I would like to be now.”
The flea laughed as he danced over to the raccoon that was now a bear. “So now you would like to be a toad,” he said.
“Yes!” cried the raccoon. “A toad is a good little animal. It can jump way up high. It can play on land and sea. A toad is green, and it can sing.”
“Then here we go again,” said the flea. “Look at what I do. Then do it after me.”
The flea said, “One, two, three.” Then he made a jump backwards too. The flea called out, “Make me a toad!” The raccoon that was now a bear said it, too.
At last, the raccoon that was a bear looked at the flea. “It did not work. You are not a toad.”
“I am not, but you are,” laughed the flea.
“Thank you, thank you!” said the raccoon that was now small and green all over. “Now I will look for other animals to play with.” With that, he went on his way. Soon he saw a goat.
“I will jump over and sing to that goat,” he said. “I know the goat will want to sing with me. We will have a great time, the goat and I.”
But that was not to be! The goat looked at the raccoon that was now small and green all over.
“How do you do,” said the goat. “Come, stand next to me. I like you, Toad, and you may be good to eat.”
“Eat!” cried the raccoon who was now small and green all over. “You do not want to eat me! I am not a true toad. I am a raccoon!”
“A raccoon?” said the goat. “You do not look like a raccoon to me.”
“But I am,” he said.
The goat did not want to know about it. He showed his long, long teeth. Then he went after the sad, little green animal that no longer looked like a raccoon.
The raccoon did not want to be small and green all over now. “Flea, Flea!” he cried. “Make me me again! I was a big bear and that was no good. Now I am a small, green toad, and that is no good. At last,” he went on, “I know what I want to be. I want to be ME – a raccoon.”
The flea laughed. “It is good that you know that now. WE all have to be what we are. Take a jump backwards and you will be you.”
The raccoon did. “I am me again!” he cried. “You know what? I think I am a pretty great animal. I can play, run, and jump up a tree. I am not too big and not too small. From now on, a raccoon is what I want to be. Thank you, Flea.”
“Thank you for your thank you,” said the flea. Then he made a jump backwards, and away he went.
 II. Answer the questions.
1. Why was the raccoon sad?
2. Why did the raccoon want to be a bear?
3. Did the raccoon find a friend to play with when he was a bear?
4. Did the raccoon like it to be too big?
5. Why did the raccoon want to be a toad?
6. What did the goat intend to do with the raccoon – toad?
7. Explain the flea’s words “We all have to be what we are”. Do you agree with the flea?
LISTENING
The Vampire Bat
I. Listen to the text.
 Every night the bat wakes up in its dark cave.
The bat is hungry. It leaves the cave and looks for food. Most bats eat insects or fruit, but this bat doesn’t eat anything. It drinks, and it drinks only one thing – blood. This is a vampire bat. It lives in Central America and South America.
The bat hunts at night. It looks for a large animal, like a cow. When it finds an animal, the bat lands on its back.
The vampire bat has got very sharp teeth. It cuts a small hole in the cow’s leg. Then it drinks the blood. The cow doesn’t feel anything, so it doesn’t wake up.
Before morning the bat flies back to its cave.
The bat sleeps in the cave until the next night.
II. Complete the zoo description.
The Vampire bat lives in Central and South
______________. It __________ in a __________ by day and it ___________ for food at ________. This bat doesn’t __________ fruit and insects. It ________ blood. It has got very __________ teeth. It __________________ a small ________ in an animal’s ____________ leg. Then it drinks the animal’s _______. Before morning the vampire bat _________ back to its cave.
READING
Minnie, the Chimp
I. Read the text.
 Minnie was a large, well-built chimp about three feet six in height, and she sat in the branches of one of her trees and surveyed us with an amiable and slightly vacuous expression. We regarded each other silently for about ten minutes, while I endeavoured to assess her personality. Although the Dutchman had assured me that she was perfectly tame, I had had enough experience to know that even the tame chimp, if it takes a dislike to you, can be a nasty creature to have a rough and tumble with, and Minnie, though not very tall, had an impressive bulk.
Presently I lowered the drawbridge and went into the enclosure, armed with a large bunch of bananas with which I hoped to purchase my escape if my estimation of her character was faulty. I sat on the ground, the bananas on my lap, and waited for Minnie to make the first overtures. She sat in the tree watching me with interest, thoughtfully slapping her rotund tummy with her large hands. Then, having decided that I was harmless, she climbed down from the tree and loped over to where I sat. She squatted down about a yard away and held out a hand to me. Solemnly I shook it. Then I, in turn, held out a banana which she accepted and ate, with small grunts of satisfaction.
Within half an hour she had eaten all the bananas and we had established some sort of friendship: that is to say, we played pat-a-cake, we chased each other round her compound and in and out of her hut, and we climbed one of the trees together. At this point I thought it was a suitable moment to introduce the crate into the compound. We carried it in, placed it on the grass with its lid and allowed Minnie plenty of time to examine it and decide it to be harmless. The problem now was to get Minnie into the crate without, firstly, frightening her too much and, secondly, getting bitten. As she had never in her life been confined in a box or small cage I could see that the whole operation presented difficulties, especially as her owner was not there to lend his authority to the manoeuvre.
So, for three and a half hours I endeavoured, by example, to show Minnie that the crate was harmless. I sat in it, lay in it, jumped about on top of it, even crawled round with it on my back like a curiously shaped tortoise. Minnie enjoyed my efforts to amuse her immensely, but she still treated the crate with a certain reserve. The trouble was that I realized I should only have one opportunity to trap her, for if I messed it up the first time and she realized what I was trying to do, no amount of coaxing or cajoling would induce her to come anywhere near the crate. Slowly but surely she had to be lured to the crate so that I could tip it over on top of her. So, after another three-quarters of an hour of concentrated and exhausting effort, I had got her to sit in front of the upturned crate and take bananas from inside it. Then came the great moment.
I baited the box with a particularly succulent bunch of bananas and then sat myself behind it, eating a banana myself and looking around the landscape nonchalantly, as though nothing could be farther from my mind than the thought of trapping chimpanzees. Minnie edged forward, darting surreptitious glances at me. Presently she was squatting close by the box, examining the bananas with greedy eyes. She gave me a quick glance and then, as I seemed preoccupied with my fruit, she leant forward and her head and shoulders disappeared inside the crate. I hurled my weight against the back of the box so that it toppled over her, and then jumped up and sat heavily on top so that she could not bounce it off. Bob rushed into the compound and added his weight and then, with infinite caution, we edged the lid underneath the crate, turned the whole thing over and nailed the lid in place, while Minnie sat surveying me malevolently through a knot hole and plaintively crying ‘Ooo… Oooo… Oooo,’, as if shocked to the core by my perfidy. Wiping the sweat from my face and lighting a much-needed cigarette, I glanced at my watch. It had taken taken four and a quarter hours to catch Minnie; I reflected that it could not have taken much longer if she had been a wild chimpanzee leaping about in the forest. A little tired, we loaded her on to the Land-Rover and set out for Bafut again.
An extract from “Beef with Hand Like Man”,
After G. Durrell
II. Find the answers to the following questions.
1. Who was Minnie?
2. What was the author’s first step to establish friendship with Minnie?
3. Why did getting Minnie into the crate present difficult?
4. How did the author amuse Minnie?
5. Why was the crate baited with a succulent bunch if bananas?
6. How long did it take the author to catch Minnie?
Compiled by Galina Goumovskaya
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