Nov. 18,—Back in Shanghai in the filthiest weather one of those dull, drab mornings when the Magpies sit up in the trees with their tails hanging down below them, and obviously hoping that they may dry out some day: even the -brilliant-hued Azure-winged Magpies take on a dull grey tint and are obviously requiring a new waterproof. In such weather I walked round the edge of the battle-torn country hoping that something interesting would happen—and it di a small gri and white bird was chasing every Blackbird and Thrush in sight, and putting them to flight. Further investigation soon proved that the attacking bird was a male Hawfinch and that most of his victims were newly-adult Blackbirds out searching for the early worm: and now what I want to know is this. Why should a Hawfinch attack Blackbirds which are really his Best friends? Wears of watching have proved to me that the Hawfinch is to a great extent on commensal terms with the Blackbird: he generally builds his nest in the same tree and depends upon his larger neigh-hour for protection: any marauding bird of prey is scared away by the screams of the mere watchful Blackbird who thus protects the Hawfinch without knowing he is doing it. So why, in the name of all that is reasonable. should this strife have arisen? A small bird with a wickedly strong bill, made for the cracking of seeds, suddenly makes wilful warfare on a straight-billed bird whose main industry is to drag his food out of the earth. This sort of thing seems to be catching, and I am still wondering if there had been any strange incidents to account for what I saw.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.