Oct, 9.—In mythological times when the great god Pan roamed the hills and forests, his sudden appearance inspired such fear that the word "panic" finally came to be applied to any sudden alarm (and its results).....a fact which is possibly overlooked by many writers. of "market reports," and others in whom the "fear complex" is well developed, The expression "panic fear" was certainly the only one to describe the behaviour of the Sparrows in my garden to-day, and, as I could see no dangerous birds such as Magpies, Shrikes and the like, anywhere near, I could not understand "hat was happening: small Sparrows crouched and fluttered and screamed while mother Sparrows squeaked and squealed and tried to herd their broods into places of safety; full-grown Sparrows flew here and there in aimless fashion as if Lucifer himself were in their midst Bulbuls shrank into the bushes, chattering, and Blackbirds "wick-wicked" while—shaving another "tenth" off the hundred yards record in their haste to reach the horizon. Minutes went by, and still the babel of sound went on, so I finally went out to investigate. In vain I searched the trees and shrubs for cats until, much to my surprise, I found a Sparrow-Hawk perched on the low roof of an outhouse exhausted that it seemed quite unable to m it panted with open bill and swayed os it perched, looking helplessly from side to side as if it, and not the small birds, were suffering mortal fear. By the wedge-shaped spots on its breast (in place of bars) I judged it to be a youngster of the year, tired out in the course of its migration. It stayed quite still as I viewed it from close quarters, and finally flew off quite strongly when it was rested. But when I looked round the garden again there was not a bird to be seen! So now when I see a Sparrow-Hawk I shall always think of Pan....a not inappropriate thought, seeing that the goatlike god was, among other things, the patron of hunting.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.