A cnanwonan engaged to scrub a studio on saturday afternoons frequently arrived late, laden these occasions always had the, same excuse—she had "stopped at the dairy to ave a One Saturday she began talking with sus ne of white cious garrulousness of parrots. loreakers is dotted with screaming Gulls, while Lih, madam," she said, "I do like parrots. the: black: form of a Cormorant. (or is it a mey'te such clever birds.
'Why, there's one across the clear' water the dairy. where, I cup o° tea what lis" daily" bread! and there, Says "Good mornin, and. 'Good afternoon' and among the black rocks, tiny bent forms are "time, gentlemen, please Jerawling round like a" small army of ants: these are the women and children chipping the Overdrawn oysters off the rocks—oysters which, if they. were only left to grow, would rival those.
Tue bank manager rang up Mr, Cohen and Whitstabe, Bur "nothing can "be aflowed fo [grow amongst_an_ impoverished" population which must have warmth and food during the and vot—about it? Ingulred" Mr, hard, winter to come. It all amounts fo a. sort [Cohen. "Vill you tell me vot my account "seorched"—or wear rea"—earth Jat this time last year? Just tell me tha potey which iva adopted by the local he bank manager said. he would Ingu T find that this. time last Weihaiwei, Dee, 25—1 have been trying to year you had a balance in your favour of make up a'tentaiive list of birds to be seen £2,000." jin Weihaiwei during the winter but owing to "Vell" replied Cohen, triumphantly, "ald 1 frame the "outside country, includ [war conditions Tam afraid it will be far from ing you up"
jing the Lagoons and. salt-pans are onl. of Never Again! [bounds, so I'am unable to look for the smaller [ducks and waders, or to stalk the wily Bean-'Tue recruiting sergeant was a real old timer. JGoose which 1 know must be there somewhere. hadn't much use for those who were look-have already recorded that the. hills are ting for jobs other than in the front Jdenuded of birds, and even the adventurous 'A chap was making, Inquiries for a lend [Magpies which are given to fying high in th who wanted to be a dental mechante' in the ai Jare now sticking closely to the valleys and autumn fo play their games on the, hilton army Dental Corps.
"There are vacancies," said the sergeant, "but optimistic creatures that they. are) already they are for first-class men, those who know Jworking on their nests for a spring ithe" job from Ato Z." told" him that he was a dental Jsome.. months away they refuse 19]
the fact thai within 'a few weeks mechanic in the last war, their half-built homes. will be stiff with frozen He looked at him with a baleful eye. "They made mistakes inthe last' snow. "The North China Tite (our Lesser Gre) he said, "but Frit" are much in evidence among the Acacias, ('Pere aFe, there are not going to be the came mistakes in but X seldom see the Greenfinches which musi one Tree Sparrows are, of course, to be seen every-be sheltering somewhere among the Firs: the etsatogy where, and like their brethren in Shanghai Heania that we were to be sent at short they stick closely to the houses. Among those which are entirely winter birds are the beauti- [fy tice to France, four of us in our platoon took french leave and lett the imp for a few hours Jdecelve. me, the pretty tle Golderests which ful Durian Redstarts if my ears do not
Jannounce loir presence by mouse-like squeaks Jamong the ifr-trees. Over the sea one catches sight of Herring-Guils and others which I have not yet identified, while Ruddy Sheldrake [Widgeon may be seen close to the shore. The
Thrust feeding from the perties of pretilest sight T have, seen today is a. Dusky are berry bush: to see this handsome bird gob-Ieling down the bright red. berries growing thick on every twig reminded me irresistibly lof a small child at the dessert course on Christ tinas "Da not an original thought after the party T have just attended.
10 say goodbye to our families, writes a''rookle,"
At we London terminus we were caught a ticket collector who wanted to sco our rail vouchers, which, of course, we did not possess.
was about to call the Military" Pollec wien a burly sergeant in another regiment stepped "up and asked him what the "trouble was and said he would put us under arrest, 'Ordering us to fall in, he marched' us Itnrough the barrier. Once out of sight of the lickd-collector he dismissed us and told "us to buzz oft.
Wo slarted to thank him, but he cut us short. -That's all right, chums. 1¢ was the only way T could get past the barrier myself, I hadn't got all "voucher either:
Tricked Aw enthusiastic politician was asked by his wife to lay aside polities long enough to dig Jup the potatoes in the garden.
latter digging for a few minutes, wen consented, "somewhat reluctantly, and house. ud said he had founda. coin. He Jwashed it, and it proved to be a shilling. He put it in his pocket, and went back to work.
'Presently he went to the house again and Jsaid he bad found another cain. He washed ithe dirt off it, and this time it was a two-shilling piece.' He put it in his pocket.
have worked pretty hard," said he to his wife, "I think TH have a short nap now."
When he awoke he was not surprised to find that his wife had dug up the rest. of, the polatoes—and that she had found no coins!
Rapid Turn-out 'A rucarne ina small American town had a in the box-arnee. You just had to press a pedal on the floor, and a bell rang at police headquarters, "Two days after it was Installed, 19 gangster poked his gun through the box-office window ud demanded the cash. The girl pressed her {foot on the pedal, stalled a bit, and then began hand over the money.
At this point the phone rang. The gangster grabbed the receiver.
"What 5-11?" he asked.
"This is the police station, darn you!" said lan angry, voice. "Say, do you know you've [got your foot on the pedal and we can't hear ourselves talk because of that blooming alarm bell
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.