Aug. 28—The Sparrow has the reputation of being'a confirmed lotus-enter who will never work for a meal if he can begvor steal a free lone...yet Ihave just been informed thet an observer has watched House Sparrows during the "breeding season siting the nest. will loads of caterpiliers about 125 {mes a day, OUT [common sparrow is, of course, the Chinese Tree Sparrow which Is'a much more independent bird than Paster domestics and T can certainly vouch for the fact that while he has young Ju the nest our bird works for his living. The ira which -has nested under the tiles outside my window is now bringing up a second brood fof ave and Is taking full advantage of the act that the only has to cly about Atty yards to the apple "orchard: by watching him. for fixed periods T calculate that ho brings well over 100 wriggling loads of caterpillars per day and that young themselves do not give. him much jchanee of lying down on the job! the five young birds, now fully fledged and hopping round the tiles surround him with gaping mouths on each ferrivat and any which do not get fed set up such a screaming that the parent has to go off to work again it only for the sake. of peace. Incidentally it is amusing to note that Tam spraying the trees regularly with an arsenieat reparation which is supposed to ill li eater pillars..yet the birds can find them by' the hundred "and the young come to no harm by swallowing them. "All of which seems to show that the birds can do more for me than pounds ot'chemical and much labour, Aug. 2%—Had an unusual experience this morning. Walked over the hills through pas which Teall "Two-ways Gap" because hibits the unusual phenomenon of wind (apparently) blowing two ways at once: you walla tup the bitt with the south wind at your back and, on passing through the narrow gap, find the Jsame wind blowing in your face for' reason which at once becomes obvious: the next high spur of hills takes a. right-angied. {umn and, etching, the' wind coming' up from. the 1 fat ade Wondered how such beauty exist almost unknown: giant rocks, grassy pines and wild ower forming a: naturat ud myself against the Focks hoping to get a closer view; but eve the half easy. to follow.
These Engle Owls are powerful enough to kill and 1(t a hare, and the behaviour of this particular animal ig further evidence to support the theory that a hare will crouch close ova human being if it thinks that by 80: doing can obtain protection from an even more [dangerous animal.
Aug, 29—The movements of sea-birds are very dimeult for a landsman to follow because. hho has s0 Jittle opportunity: to observe them, andthe most valuable records usually come: from Naval oftcers and other sailors, Here in Weihaiwei we have remarkably few Gull cepting wanderers during the migration fand the usual winter visitors: the Black-headed Gul is sal to breed hero though T seldom toe 1) while the Chinese Little Tem has been. known to deposit its eggs in the indy bays when crossing the harbour (and bouncing considerably a one such occasions) to Mind halt dozen sooty little sea-birds with black leg Playing a sort of surf-riding' game among. th small "white horses" in the bay. "I hardly had {me to take in details (for such I the speed of modern transportation!) but I was well aware that "no small sea-bird plays "the game of walking on the Water" except the Petrols—which Ttalian legend says named. after St. Peter for that, very. reason—yet, #0 far a5 T knew, these birds donot come to our local waters; "Returning home to my only available ook of reference, 1 found that the birds just 'Soon corresponded with La Touche's descrip tion of Swinhoe's Petrel, and T have no doubt in my mind that is exietly what they were! they' are' usually confined to the Japan Seas, hough they have been known to travel og far 'North as Viedivostock. And it certainly seemed strange to me that these sooty-brown litle strangers. from the East and. South, known throughout. the sea-faring world. to" portend, storm and trouble, should choose this particle time' to visit our peaceful waters,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.