Oct. 18.—Since this war began many people have asked me if I have noted anything particular in the behaviour of birds in the presence of heavy gunfire, bombing etc.: I have had to reply that birds generally seem to be oblivious of such dangerous surroundings, and there is very little of interest to note in their behaviour except that loud noise, or sudden excitement of any sort, will often make them sing. But on Sunday morning-I did note something of interest. One ofthe warring parties chose the Sabbath morn as an appropriate time to put a heavy barrage of bombing all round the Western district much to the annoyance of a large party of Rooks who were out feeding in the fields: I was not an eye-witness of the incident (though I could hear it only too well)—but was never in doubt as to what had actually happened: the very fact of a flock of Rooks flying from the country into the town at breakfast-time was sufficient evidence in itself; and this was supported by the aimless manner in which the birds conducted themselves: some perched in the trees, others on the house-tops, while the fool of the party insisted (as he always does) on perching right on top of a tiny wireless pole, and fell off it every time the wind blew strongly. In fact, it was only too obvious that the birds had been disturbed from their usual habits and were ill at ease, listening to, and perhaps fearing, the now distant noises. All this was very interesting to me and I very nearly overlooked the most important point of all. The Magpies in the poplar tree, actually working on their nest, never even attempted to attack the Rooks: 'a most unheard of thing in the bird world, for no Magpie wil} ever allow a Rook or any other member of his own family (Corvide) to approach his nest. Could it be that birds have a sense of hospitality? I fear not and the answer is, they were all too afraid even to attack one another.
How very true!
So much, writes a correspondent, has been written about the frightfulness of Japan; well it all seems desperate at times, but on the footing that "all is fair in love and war" it seems clearly definite that all nations throughout the world in time of future wars will be henceforth compelled to do, at some time or other, very same deeds which are being enacted by the Japanese military forces around Shanghai in this yn-declared war.
This present diversion being in the nature of a demonstration of sincerest affection, everything goes!
The Blinding Flash ^...let me say there is always two sides to a question just as there are two sides to a quarrel which actually means it takes two parties to make the necessary quarrel either for a street fight or a national fight as the case may actually be found to be correct."
Like all generalities the above is not entirely true. Take shadow boxing, for instance!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.