Detail

`All the people of our country, the Republic of Korea, are keenly aware that Nature is the very source of human lives and the tudimental basis of our daily life. This is why all of us are doing our level best in unity for the conservation of our environment, execising to the utmost the spirit of loving one`s native land and country. In the hope that the nationwide campaign for nature preservation will be carried out successfully, the Ministry of Communications has selected 10 kinds of animals and plants?five kinds each of the flora and fauna?that are gradually nearing extinction as the themes of postage stamps to be issued on five serial occasions this year. The following two items have been chosen for the second of the series: 1.Mandarian Duck, Aix galericulata Mandarian ducks are found in such areas as Manchuria, Mongolia, China, Japan nd Korea, that is, to the southeast of Siberia. They were also introduced into Europe and live there in a feral state. Males are very pretty with multi­colored, drooping crest, prominent white eyestripe, orange side­whiskers, purple upper­breast, black and white stripes on the sides of the breast, yellow flanks and bright orange fan-shaped raised wings. They are about 440㎜ long. Females are brownish­gray mottled with white below. Prominently white eye­stripe and white chin hair are distinctive. Mandarian ducks are rare resident birds living in inland water ponds often in woodland, rice­fields, dams and reservoirs. Fairly common passage migrants, they winter in mild weather and are occasionally found in the duck resort at Lake Paldang and Yangsan Reservoir in winter. 2. Neofinettia falcata(Thunb) Hu, Orchidaceae This perennial evergreen epiphytic orchid grows on the surface of rock and aged tree trunks. Its stem, 1 to 2㎝ long, is covered bu old petiole bases. Leaves are hard and fleshy, ranked in two rows, and are jointed with petiole apex. It blooms from June to July. The scape growing from the axillary bud of the stem base is 3 to 10㎝ long and bears 1 or 2 scale leaves below. Three to 5 pure white flowers bloom per scape, and they later turn into yellowish color. Capsule is cylindrical, about 3㎝ long, and narrows toward the base.`