Bimilar scenes could be witnessed in other open spaces in the Bois and, later on, we may expect to see ruminants feeding in the Pre Catelan and any other part of the' Bois that provides grass.
All these things are ominous signs of what we may have to endure in the near future; and yet if there i to be" siege of Paris in 1914 it is hardly likely to resemble that of 1870-71. At that time the inhabitants were hemmed in behind a wall and were starved into surrender after their armies had been crushed "one after the other, so that the French no longer had any force to threaten the besiegers' lines of communication. Under existing conditions, an attack on Paris means an attack on rings of forts fifteen or twenty miles from the centre of the city and covering a front of considerably over a hundred miles.
The Germans have not only to break through these circles of fire but also to dispose of the Anglo-French forces which, though they have retreated under pressure from superior numbers, are still intact and able to attack when the opportunity presents itself.
Everything we know of the German plans up to the present points to the conclusion that the invader will strike hard and quickly at Paris and try to force his way in. He has no time to sit down in front of the city and invest it methodically as was done in 1870-71. Thus the gunners in the forts may expect " series of attacks even more formidable than those directed at Liege. Orders have been given to demolish all buildings within the zone of fire from the forte so that the advancing enemy shall be deprived of cover.
The 1014 class of conscripte, consisting of young men of twenty who, under ordinary circumstances, would not have been required until October, has just been called out, and the reservists, who as already state ed were sent home by M. Messimy have been recalled by M. Millerand. The 1914 class will need at least a month's training before it can be used to fill the gaps in the ranks, but it will then add about 250,000 men to the forces available at what will probably prove to be the most critical point of the war. The re-
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