An aviary is a house or very large cage for birds. For thousands of years, birds have been kept in aviaries to be enjoyed for their beautiful plumage or to be sold as pets. In the great markets and bazaars of India, whole buildings, resembling palaces, were built as aviaries. Most zoos have an aviary, which is often a large, …

Mudskippers are small tropical fish of the eastern Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific from Australia to Japan. They live in estuaries with mudbanks and also in mangrove swamps. Their eyes protrude from their heads and can be moved independently of each other. When the mud is exposed by the ebbing of the tide the mudskippers come out …

There is an endless variety of wines. Wines of all types can be classified by either the primary grape variety or the region where the grapes are grown. Even within types of wines, there is a great variety of flavour and texture because the climate varies in different regions. The two major categories are red and white. The red colour …

Cocktail is a style of mixed drinks, and usually contains one or more types of liquor and mixers, such as bitters, fruit juice or herbs. Mocktail is a non-alcoholic cocktail. Mocktail is also know as ‘virgin cocktail’. A non-alcoholic beverage is a beverage that contains no alcohol. Non-alcoholic mixed drinks (including punches, “virgin cocktails”, or “mocktails”) are often consumed by …

Everybody has seen a spider’s web, and admired the skull which the spider has in web making. We know that the substance used in web making is silk, which the spider makes, and that it uses this silk not only for webs but for a whole variety of other purposes. We also know that the type of web varies very …

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Perhaps the greatest musical genius who ever lived, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, Jan. 27, 1756, the son of Leopold Mozart, concertmaster at the archiepiscopal court, and his wife, Anna Maria Pertl. Leopold Mozart was a successful composer and violinist, whose famous treatise on violin playing (Versuch einer grundlichen Violinschule) was first printed …

Walter Samuel — Walter Adrián Luján Samuel (born Walter Adrián Luján; 23 March 1978) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Basel in the Swiss Super League. Samuel has been regarded as one of football’s toughest defenders, with teammate and Inter captain Javier Zanetti referring to him as the “hardest player” he has played with. Gifted with natural power and …

Yews have long been associated with religious worship. So it is likely that churches were originally built near the sacred trees rather than the other way round. These trees live longer than any other species in Europe and can grow to an enormous size. Many are thought to be well over 1,000 years old. Yews were revered by the druids …

Sunil Bharti Mittal, (born 23 October 1957) is an Indian telecom mogul, philanthropist and the founder, chairman and managing director of Bharti Enterprises. The US$7.2 billion turnover company runs India’s largest GSM-based mobile phone service. He is the son of Sat Paul (former MP) and Lalita. In 2007, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honor. Early …

The grain is a piece of wood is the pattern produced by the annual bands or rings which row in the trunk of the tree during its lifetime. The tree’s rate of growth varies with the seasons. In the spring soft porous wood is needed to carry sap. In the summer, stronger cells of hard wood develop to support the …