Centre Travel

2 pounds fresh asparagus 2 hard-boiled eggs 1/2 cucumber 3 spring onions 2 tomatoes 1 small head lettuce 3 ounces sliced black olives French dressing Wash asparagus, break off tough ends and cook in small amount of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and cool. Slice eggs. Peel and slice cucumber. Slice onions very thin. Cut tomatoes into wedges. Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces in salad bowl. Arrange asparagus stalks, tomato and cucumber in groups over lettuce. Sprinkle onions over all. Centre with egg slices and sliced olives. Serve French dressing. Serves 5.

4 ounces uncooked rice 3 rashers finely diced streaky bacon 2 tablespoons chopped onion 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper 8 fluid ounces tomato juice salt and pepper Cook rice uncovered in boiling salted water, until tender. Drain . Fry bacon until crisp, remove from frying pan Cook onion and pepper in the same pan until golden and tender. Add rice, tomato juice and bacon. Simmer until tomato juice has been absorbed by rice. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs, 1/2 inch thick cut from fillet - 4 pieces 1 small onion, chopped 2 ounces margarine about 4 ounces dry breadcrumbs some pepper 2 eggs beaten gherkins, coarsely chopped, optional Get butcher to flatten veal to a 1/4 inch thick Saute' onion in margarine. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Place large spoonful of stuffing on each piece of veal. Roll and secure with cocktail sticks. Place in covered baking dish . Bake in a moderate oven (350F or Mark 4) for about 1 1/2 hours. Serve with your favourite cheese sauce.

The takahe, a giant rail, was thought extint until rediscovered in 1948 in New Zealand.

The Frilled lizard feeds on insects and other invertebrates. It lives in Australia and erects its frill (normally held back against the body) to frighten and confuse an enemy. It runs quickly, sometimes with its forelegs and tail held clear of the ground .

The "combat dance" is a display of ritual  fighting by pairs of rival male snakes over a female. Venomous snakes, such as these rattlers, do not attempt to bite but merely try to push each other to the ground to establish superiority.